A former top aide to David Cameron has drawn on his upbringing in England and Downing Street experience in his pitch to be California governor.
Steve Hilton promised that “change is coming” after making it through to the run-off for the top West Coast job, that oversees one of the world’s largest economies.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who endorsed Mr Hilton, has claimed “the only reason” the Republican progressed in the contest was as a result of his own pressure on “cheating dogs” with unfounded accusations the vote was “rigged”.
A week after polling day it was finally announced the former Fox News host would go up against Democrat Xavier Becerra in the November election.
Around 60 people had thrown their hat into the ring in the crowded open primary race, which was contested by all candidates regardless of party.
In a short video posted on social media by Mr Hilton after being confirmed as one of the two contenders, the one-time senior adviser to the then Tory prime minister declared he was “not a politician” but “an outsider”.
He told how his parents fled communism in Hungary to make a life in England where he was born and raised “in a working class home” and spoke of their pride when he went to Oxford University.
Showing pictures of himself with Mr Cameron, Mr Hilton said: “I helped elect a prime minister, worked in 10 Downing Street.
“I saw how government bureaucracy can grow and what it takes to fight back.”
Mr Hilton, who quit Number 10 in 2012 to teach at California’s Stanford University, became a US citizen in 2021, which he described as “one of the proudest days” of his life.
He added: “This campaign is not about Democrat or Republican. It’s about common sense, change, practical solutions.
“I’m not a politician. I’m an outsider, running for governor to shake up a broken system. To cut your costs, help your business, fix our schools.
“It doesn’t have to be like this. Change is possible. We just have to vote different.”
In a separate post on X, Mr Hilton said: I am running for governor to be of service to you – to make California the greatest place in the world and to restore the California Dream. Change is Coming.”
Speaking at the White House, Mr Trump hailed Mr Hilton as “a fantastic guy” and claimed credit for his advancement.
Mr Trump had previously alleged electoral fraud over the delay in counting ballots, which is notoriously slow in California, because of the predominance of postal voting, the verification process and the size of the state’s population, with some 23 million eligible voters.
The president said: “They approved Steve Hilton very quickly. There was too much heat on them.
“He had all the votes he needed, probably to be first place, but the only reason they approved Steve Hilton… (was) because the heat was on them, because they’re cheating dogs, and you can’t have a great country when that happens.”
The main challenges facing California include water shortages, the notoriously high cost of living and homelessness.
The last Republican to be the state’s governor was film star Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose office ended in 2011.
The architect of Mr Cameron’s Big Society policy, which aimed to shift power from central government to local communities, Mr Hilton gained a reputation in Downing Street for walking around without shoes.
He broke with his former boss to become a vocal Brexit supporter.
In 2008, he was arrested and fined for disorder in a row over a train ticket as he left Birmingham after the party’s annual conference.