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HUNTINGTON BEACH — In a state that hasn’t elected a Republican governor in nearly two decades and where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two to one in registered voters, Tuesday night belonged to two conservative political outsiders who based their campaigns on a simple message: Californians deserve better.

Former Fox News host Steve Hilton and reality television veteran Spencer Pratt arrived at their respective races with thinner war chests than their establishment rivals, no prior experience in elected office, and campaigns built less on policy infrastructure than on raw charisma, populist messaging, and an uncomplicated argument: that California leaders had failed, and that change – dramatic, disruptive change – was long overdue.

By the time the first results came in Tuesday night, both men were outperforming what most political handicappers had predicted would be strong showings in California’s already tumultuous jungle primary where the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election.

If there was a single image that captured the ebullient mood of the evening for California Republicans, it came from Steve Hilton's election night gathering, where the British-born candidate shared a light-hearted conversation he had with the last Republican governor of the state.

Hilton told his supporters a story about Arnold Schwarzenegger. When he became an American citizen, Hilton said, Schwarzenegger sent him a congratulatory video.

“He said, ‘But Steve, you got the wrong jacket. You got the wrong jacket,’” Hilton recalled to laughter from the crowd.

“And I made a pledge that day that one day I would get the jacket that Arnold told me to get on my road to being governor of California.”

Hilton opened his jacket to the crowd to reveal that the internal lining was an American flag on one side and the California state flag on the other. 

“And here it is. I am a proud American. And I am a very proud Californian tonight. Arnold, that was for you!” he said, beaming.

The room erupted into chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” In a race in which Hilton had been dismissed by many as a novelty that would wear off, it captured a jovial and patriotic side of the British-born candidate who has made restoring California’s once golden allure a passion project.

With roughly half the ballots counted, Hilton had edged into the lead in the governor’s race, sitting one point ahead of Democrat Xavier Becerra and seven points clear of progressive billionaire Tom Steyer, who had spent more than $200 million of his own money on the campaign – the largest self-funded outlay of any candidate in the country this primary season.

Even before the final votes were counted for the night, Hilton was recalibrating for a broader general-election audience. Hilton struck a tone befitting a candidate running statewide in a deeply blue state rather than one firing up a conservative base.

When pressed on his strategy for winning the general election, Hilton spoke less about defeating Becerra than about uniting Californians. He framed his outsider status not as an ideological cudgel but as a fresh set of eyes on problems that career politicians had proven unable to solve.

“I’m here to fight for you and to help you have the chance at following your dream, whatever it is,” Hilton said. “That’s the whole point of my campaign – it’s practical things that will help everyone. It’s not ideological – it’s not even particularly partisan. It’s not about Democrat or Republican. It’s about change.”

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles

Roughly 50 miles north, Spencer Pratt was writing his own chapter in what was shaping up to be a remarkable night for California’s anti-establishment right.

With nearly half the votes counted, the reality show star-turned-political-insurgent appeared poised........

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