Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is angering conservatives with a new online ad that racked up millions of views over the weekend.
The ad was released last week and depicts two women sitting on a bed in front of a pride flag while discussing something for the first time, implying the start of a same-sex romantic experience. One girl said to the other, “I’ve never done anything like this before. What if my dad finds out?” To which her friend comforted her and said, “Try it.” »
The punchline comes a moment later when it is revealed that this is not a romantic encounter but rather a young woman considering voting for a Republican for the first time. The camera shows one woman helping the other fill out her absentee ballot, guiding her hand as she votes for Hilton. The video ends with a character saying, “Now lick it,” while holding up an envelope for an absentee ballot.
Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center considers a Christian nationalist, said the ad promoted “lesbianism,” which he called a “pandemic” among high school and college students during his Facebook live Saturday, and called it “grotesque” and “insensitive.” But he said he would still vote for Hilton.
“This is a clear example of why good people are walking away from the Republican Party. As a mother and someone who has fought to protect the innocence of children, this crosses a line. We have lost our way. Embarrassing,” Shaw wrote.
The video, which was posted on X on October 1, has been viewed 5.5 million times, according to the social media site.
Hilton, a former Fox News commentator, is trailing deep in the latest poll against Democrat Xavier Becerra, who most recently served as Secretary of Health and Human Services during the Biden administration.
Hilton and Becerra won the crowded June primary, where a half-dozen Democrats and two prominent Republicans battled for the top two spots. The two candidates faced off last week in the only televised debate expected before the November 3 general election.
A Public Policy Institute of California poll released in September found that Becerra had 60 percent of likely voters, compared to Hilton’s 38 percent. Another poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Government Studies released a week later found Becerra had 58 percent support among likely voters. Hilton had only 33% support from likely voters.
California has far more Democrats than Republicans, with 45% registered as Democrats, according to a September study by the Public Policy Institute of California; 25% of voters are Republican and 22% are independent.
Hilton did not respond to SFGATE’s request for comment. He is scheduled to speak Monday at an LGBT roundtable in Palm Desert.
Gn usa
