Xavier Becerra (Democrat) and Steve Hilton (Republican) are the candidates for governor of California in the November 3, 2026 general election. Semblen has analyzed 21 ads in this race; 4 used at least one manipulation technique, most often bandwagon appeal and glittering generalities.
Xavier Becerra (DEM), Steve Hilton (REP). On the ballot as listed by California Secretary of State, Certified List of Candidates, Nov 3 2026 General. 21 ads analyzed, 4 with at least one technique in the copy. Newest first. The paid-for-by line is the advertiser's own filing. Updated 2026-10-08. 18 ads from other advertisers shown separately below.
As of 2026-10-08. Counts are of distinct ads; the same text run many times is one ad.
A small box with these findings and the newest ads, updated as new ads are analyzed. Free for newsrooms, blogs and campaigns alike; it links back here.
An email when new ads come in from either side or the outside groups: the techniques, the words doing the work, and who paid. And each debate's analysis the morning after. One-click unsubscribe.
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| Paid for by | Ads | With at least one technique | Most common |
|---|---|---|---|
| SoCal Daily Pulse | 5 | 0 of 5 | |
| Steve Hilton | 5 | 1 of 5 | Repetition (1) |
| The Angeleno | 3 | 0 of 3 | |
| Legit Politic | 2 | 0 of 2 | |
| No on Prop 40 - Doctors, Teachers, Small Businesses, Working Families and Public Safety Against the Reckless Wealth Tax Experiment. Ad committee’s top funders: California Primary Care Association Advocates & California Medical Association. | 2 | 1 of 2 | Appeal to Fear (1), Bandwagon Appeal (1) |
| KQED | 1 | 0 of 1 | |
| REALPOLITICSCA | 1 | 1 of 1 | Bandwagon Appeal (1), Black-and-White Fallacy (1), Glittering Generalities (1) |
| RESCUE CALIFORNIA COALITION | 1 | 1 of 1 | Flag-Waving (1), Glittering Generalities (1), Slogans (1) |
| STEVE HILTON FOR GOVERNOR 2026 | 1 | 0 of 1 |
Not everyone would call every technique manipulation. Untick the ones you'd call ordinary persuasion and the count updates.
19% of the 21 ads here use at least one of the techniques ticked below (4 ads).
Leaving out the softer ones (loaded language, glittering generalities, slogans, exaggeration, repetition): 14% of ads.
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Candidates for governor report their fundraising to California's state campaign-finance office, not the FEC. This page doesn't cover those reports yet, so it shows no money figures.
21 ads, newest first. Video transcripts are shown as the model read them, without caption cues like [music].
Showing the 5 ads paid for by SoCal Daily Pulse. Show all 21 ads
WHOA — Xavier Becerra spent $7,000 a night housing migrant children according to Steve Hilton. For this amount of money, the children were placed in a warehouse and slept on cots as allegations of abuse emerged.
California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton released video of a 15-year-old boy who says he was forced into "debt bondage" after being placed with a sponsor through the federal unaccompanied migrant children program overseen by Xavier Becerra, Hilton's opponent in the race.
A former caseworker at the Pomona Fairplex says migrant children were handed to sponsors who couldn't name them. Speaking anonymously in Steve Hilton's "Becerra Tapes," the woman says staff accepted IDs with selfie photos and fake birth certificates, contacted sponsors by phone or WhatsApp, and watched kids get pulled from the site by unknown drivers at 2 or 3 in the morning. "We still have no proof that the child went to that address," she said. Federal auditors found their own problems. An HHS inspector general review of early 2021 cases found 16% lacked documentation that all required sponsor checks happened, 35% had ID legibility concerns, and 22% never got timely follow-up calls.
An email when new ads come in from either side or the outside groups: the techniques, the words doing the work, and who paid. And each debate's analysis the morning after. One-click unsubscribe.
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A former caseworker at the Pomona Fairplex says migrant kids were released to sponsors who could not name the children they were expecting. In Steve Hilton's "Becerra Tapes," speaking anonymously, she describes IDs with selfie photos, fraudulent birth certificates, sponsor checks done over phone and WhatsApp, and children driven off by strangers at 2 or 3 a.m. "We still have no proof that the child went to that address," she said. Federal auditors flagged gaps of their own. An HHS inspector general review of early 2021 cases found 16% lacked documentation that all required sponsor checks occurred, 35% had ID legibility concerns, and 22% missed timely follow-up calls.
A whistleblower is now coming forward with allegations of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse inside Xavier Becerra's migrant child facilities—claiming children were placed in dangerous situations and employees who reported misconduct faced consequences. “I’m speaking on something that I know happened.” Follow for more Becerra tapes.
Paid posts that ran in CA and name a candidate, from advertisers that aren't part of this race: news-style pages, campaigns for other offices, and others. They're shown here for completeness and not counted with the ads above. We show the same technique analysis; their claims are not checked.
California Courier: news-style page
Watch this fiery moment in tonights debate where Steve Hilton went straight after Xavier Becerra, confronting him over his alleged failure to account for hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children. Do you think this was a fair point made by Hilton?
California Courier: news-style page
🚨 California gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton clashed over Hilton’s proposal to eliminate state income tax on the first $150,000 of individual income. Becerra argued the broader plan would give the wealthiest Californians a 40% tax reduction. Hilton said tax relief would help working people and encourage job growth. His campaign estimates the proposal could reduce state revenue by up to $65 billion. What do you make of their competing tax approaches? #CaliforniaGovernor #CaliforniaTaxes #Election2026 👇
California Courier: news-style page
NEW: Steve Hilton greets his supporters after participating in the gubernatorial debate against Xavier Becerra.
California Courier: news-style page
🚨 California gubernatorial nominees Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra clashed over reading instruction, school accountability and teacher pay during their sole scheduled general election debate. Hilton called for phonics-based instruction and greater accountability for teachers and schools. Becerra said Hilton was attacking teachers and argued they should be treated and paid as professionals. State data show 48.8% of tested students met or exceeded English standards in 2024-25, while 37.3% met or exceeded math standards. Both rates rose 1.8 percentage points from the prior year. What do you make of their approaches to improving California schools? #CaliforniaGovernor #CaliforniaEducation #CAASPP 👇
California Courier: news-style page
Hardworking Californians are getting crushed by the state’s sky-high taxes and cost of living — and Steve Hilton says enough is enough. Hilton is running on giving Californians relief, while arguing that Xavier Becerra represents the same Sacramento establishment that helped create the affordability crisis. California families are paying the price. Becerra said Hilton is misrepresenting what he said.
California Courier: news-style page
🚨 Steve Hilton said his proposed California income tax cut would be financed partly by ending state spending on the California High-Speed Rail project during a gubernatorial debate with Xavier Becerra. Hilton proposed eliminating state income tax on the first $150,000 of earnings and applying a flat rate above that threshold. Becerra argued the plan would disproportionately benefit wealthy residents and hurt funding for working families. What do you make of their exchange? 👇 #CaliforniaGovernor #HighSpeedRail #CaliforniaTaxes
California Courier: news-style page
🚨 Steve Hilton proposed building 10 new California cities and capping government fees and regulatory costs on new homes at $50,000 during the gubernatorial debate with Xavier Becerra. The Republican nominee said those costs average $200,000 in California, a statewide figure not independently substantiated by the sources reviewed. Counties would bid to host the proposed communities. What do you make of this housing plan? #CaliforniaHousing #CaliforniaGovernor 👇
California Courier: news-style page
🚨 Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called California’s 2026 governor’s race “over” in supplied footage, referring to Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra as “our governor” and mentioning Republican candidate Steve Hilton’s British accent. Becerra is not governor. Gov. Gavin Newsom remains in office, and voters will choose between Becerra and Hilton on November 3, 2026. #CaliforniaGovernor #Election2026 👇
California Courier: news-style page
Steve Hilton said California's budget has roughly doubled in a decade while two million residents left the state. He pointed to the high-speed rail project's cost ballooning from a projected $30 billion to $230 billion, and said he'd cancel it on day one to fund a state income tax cut instead. Credit: Fox News
California Courier: news-style page
One was a site supervisor. Contracted to move kids to sponsors on a short timeline. The other was intel. Watchlist work. Flags of sponsors came back with connections to MS-13, organized crime. Both are now whistleblowers who raised concerns about Xavier Becerra’s leadership of HHS in 2021-2024 and his handling of unaccompanied migrant kids. First full interview is up now on YouTube.
California Courier: news-style page
🚨FULL VIDEO OUT NOW🚨 Tarek Kadourah (@joey.nobody) contracted with DHS from 2020 to 2024, first in Enforcement and Removal Operations, then in intel. He says he was the first to interview "the worst of the worst" once they crossed and got picked up, and that the job wasn't only catching criminals. It was also "catching the bad guys wearing badges." By the end, he was the one blowing the whistle. He's the former site supervisor who says Xavier Becerra "definitely knew" about the 1,500+ kids moved out of San Diego in three months. Becerra is now running for California governor. Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel. Link in bio.
California Courier: news-style page
🚨FULL VIDEO OUT NOW🚨 Tarek Kadourah (joey.nobody) contracted with DHS from 2020 to 2024, first in Enforcement and Removal Operations, then in intel. He says he was the first to interview "the worst of the worst" once they crossed and got picked up, and that the job wasn't only catching criminals. It was also "catching the bad guys wearing badges." By the end, he was the one blowing the whistle. He's the former site supervisor who says Xavier Becerra "definitely knew" about the 1,500+ kids moved out of San Diego in three months. Becerra is now running for California governor. Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel. Link in bio.
California Courier: news-style page
Gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra says he will "fight to get our money from the federal government" for high speed rail.
California Courier: news-style page
NEW: Gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra came out with a new campaign promise, if elected he says he will make electricity free for two hours a day, though that would come with a higher energy cost the other 22 hours. Would you take this deal?
California Courier: news-style page
BREAKING: Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra is facing new scrutiny after whistleblowers alleged that his department rushed unaccompanied migrant children out of federal custody without adequate sponsor vetting. The claims raise questions about Becerra’s leadership, HHS oversight and what happened to thousands of children the government later struggled to contact. Read the full story here.
California Courier: news-style page
🚨 Xavier Becerra told reporters he'll do "lots of debates" against Republican gubernatorial challenger Steve Hilton — then got into his car and drove away without answering further questions. #CaliforniaGovernor #Becerra #SteveHilton #CA2026 #CaliforniaPolitics #Breaking
California Courier: news-style page
Whistleblower: migrant children fast-tracked with reduced vetting under Xavier Becerra—ending up in dangerous situations, from exploitative labor to alleged trafficking networks. “We were constantly getting false information... and told to accept it.” Reports claim thousands of cases lacked real verification, with many children still unaccounted for. Follow for more Becerra tapes.
California Courier: news-style page
BREAKING: Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra is facing new scrutiny after whistleblowers alleged that his department rushed unaccompanied migrant children out of federal custody without adequate sponsor vetting. The claims raise questions about Becerra’s leadership, HHS oversight and what happened to thousands of children the government later struggled to contact. Read the full story at our link in bio.
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