Unaffiliated voters leaned heavily toward Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, in a recent poll, pushing him to his largest lead of this election cycle.

© Mark Abramson for The New York Times

© Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times

Steve Hilton’s long-shot campaign for governor is courting Golden state voters with unapologetically populist message

Steve Hilton stands almost no chance of becoming California’s next governor, but that isn’t stopping him from campaigning as though he was just one step away from pulling off the impossible.

The former Downing Street political adviser and Fox News host refuses to be daunted by the rancid political environment for Republican candidates this year, or by opinion polls that tell him he is lagging 20 percentage points or more behind his Democratic rival, Xavier Becerra.

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© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who served in the Biden administration, will debate Steve Hilton, a Republican former talk show host, in what’s likely to be their only face-off before the election.

© Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times