California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton speaks during a campaign event on Tuesday in Norwalk, Calif. (AP Photo/Benjamin Hanson)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Republican Steve Hilton has advanced to the general election for California governor after making the case that the state desperately needs new leadership following more than 15 years of Democratic dominance.

He’ll face Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general and Biden administration health secretary, whom The Associated Press previously determined had won enough votes.

Hilton faces a challenging electorate in the November election, as California has nearly twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans. If elected he would be the first GOP candidate to win statewide office since 2006.

He thinks he can beat the odds.

“My mission is clear: to go to Sacramento, clean up the corruption, cut your costs, help your business, and fix our schools,” Hilton said in a statement.

The outcome means Democratic candidate Tom Steyer did not qualify for the November election.

Hilton, who has never held elected office, came to the United States in 2012 from the United Kingdom, where he was an adviser to Conservative Party officials including former Prime Minister David Cameron. He had a show on Fox News from 2017 to 2023 and became a U.S. citizen in 2021.