Steve Hilton campaign ad hints at same-sex encounter
The ad, part of a six-figure campaign, targets young voters in California.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Steve Hilton drops new campaign ad teasing lesbian encounter
Photograph: Internewscast (embedded from source)
What this story says
- California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton released a campaign ad called “Just Try It, California.”
- The ad uses AI-generated characters and suggests a sexual encounter between two young women.
- It is the first commercial in a six-figure advertising campaign aimed at Gen Z and millennial voters.
- Hilton's campaign stated the ad is intended to appeal to independent voters and Democrats.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 7 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
68/100
7 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 1 of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton released a campaign advertisement titled “Just Try It, California.” The ad features two AI-generated young women and hints at a sexual encounter. It is the first commercial in a six-figure television and digital advertising campaign targeting Gen Z and millennial voters, according to Hilton’s campaign. The campaign stated the ad is an appeal to independent voters and Democrats. Recent polls show Hilton trailing Democratic rival Xavier Becerra by approximately 18 percentage points.
Disagreement on ad content
Internewscast reported the ad features two AI-generated young women sitting on a bed beneath a Pride flag, with one wearing a shirt emblazoned with “RESIST.” Their conversation suggests they may be about to engage in a sexual act, with one asking, “What if my dad finds out?” and the other replying, “Just try it.” The camera then moves downward, revealing the women filling in “Steve Hilton” on a California election ballot. The ad concludes with the slogan, “Just try it.” Digests from U-S-NEWS.COM, The Gateway Pundit, The Beltway Report, and New York Post describe the ad as depicting a suggestive encounter between two young women. Mediaite described the ad as a “lesbian fanfic ad.” Politics, Policy, Political News described it as “hilarious ad about girls experimenting… With Voting Republican.”
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mention the specific dialogue from the ad, such as “What if my dad finds out?” or the response “Just try it.” None of the right-rated digests mention the Pride flag or the “RESIST” shirt as described by Internewscast. None of the right-rated digests mention the specific detail of the AI-generated women filling in Steve Hilton’s name on a California election ballot.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 2 Oct 2026, 23:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
- Mediaite led on the ad’s provocative nature, describing it as a “lesbian fanfic ad” and noting Fox News anchor John Roberts’ comment that it was “To boldly go where no political ad has gone before....” The report stated the ad features AI-generated characters and hints at a sexual encounter, and that it is part of a six-figure advertising campaign targeting Gen Z and millennial voters. It also mentioned that polls show Hilton trailing Becerra by about 18 percentage points.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- Internewscast reported that California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton released a provocative campaign ad that hints at a lesbian encounter. The report detailed the ad’s content, including the AI-generated women, their dialogue, and the reveal of filling in a ballot. It noted the ad is the first in a six-figure campaign targeting Gen Z and millennial voters and that Hilton’s campaign stated it is an appeal to independent voters and Democrats. The report also included reactions from viewers and noted Hilton trails Becerra by roughly 18 percentage points.
Right
4 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports focused on the ad's suggestive nature and its target audience. Digests from U-S-NEWS.COM, The Beltway Report, and New York Post described the ad as depicting a suggestive encounter between two young women aimed at Gen Z and millennial voters. The Gateway Pundit and Politics, Policy, Political News described the ad as “hilarious” and about “girls experimenting… With Voting Republican.” The New York Post headline quoted the ad’s dialogue: “What if my dad finds out?” All digests mentioned the ad is part of a six-figure advertising campaign.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Steve Hilton campaign ad hints at same-sex encounter?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 17% are rated left, 16% are rated centre, 67% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 7. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Steve Hilton campaign ad hints at same-sex encounter left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Steve Hilton campaign ad hints at same-sex encounter biased?
- Steve Hilton campaign ad hints at same-sex encounter is one event reported by 7 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Steve Hilton campaign ad hints at same-sex encounter?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Steve Hilton campaign ad hints at same-sex encounter?
- 7 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What is the new campaign ad from Steve Hilton?
- Steve Hilton, a Republican candidate for California governor, released an advertisement titled “Just Try It, California.” The ad features two AI-generated young women and hints at a sexual encounter. It is part of a six-figure advertising campaign targeting younger voters.
- Who is Steve Hilton targeting with his new ad?
- Hilton's campaign stated the ad is an appeal to independent voters and Democrats. The advertising campaign itself is specifically targeting Gen Z and millennial voters. This strategy is being employed as Hilton trails his Democratic rival, Xavier Becerra, in recent polls.
- How is Steve Hilton performing in the polls?
- Recent polls indicate that Steve Hilton is trailing his Democratic rival, Xavier Becerra, by approximately 18 percentage points in the race for California governor. This context is provided as Hilton launches a new advertising campaign.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
1Centre
1Right
4- POLITICS: Hilton Releases Suggestive New Ad Aimed at Young Voters as He Trails Becerra in Polls – The Beltway Report (opens U-S-NEWS.COM in a new tab)
U-S-NEWS.COM — is U-S-NEWS.COM biased? Our profile of this outlet
- California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Drops Hilarious Ad About Girls Experimenting… With Voting Republican * The Gateway Pundit * by Jordan Conradson (opens The Gateway Pundit in a new tab)
The Gateway Pundit — is The Gateway Pundit biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Hilton Releases Suggestive New Ad Aimed at Young Voters as He Trails Becerra in Polls (opens The Beltway Report in a new tab)
The Beltway Report — is The Beltway Report biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Steve Hilton drops shocking new ad teasing lesbian encounter: ‘What if my dad finds out?’ (opens New York Post in a new tab)
New York Post — is New York Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
1How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
