Michael Gates says he does not condone the Hilton ad and denounces using young women as a political tool
Michael GatesRepublican candidate for California attorney general
In an X post, Gates wrote that he does not condone the video, that his campaign "was not consulted, nor alerted to its release," and "I emphatically denounce the use of young women as a political tool." He added that "California families deserve better." A campaign press release attached to the post describes the video's portrayal of young women as sexualized and out of touch with the values of California families.
Responding to
Michael Gates said Steve Hilton's Just Try It video is an example of the inappropriate sexualization of young people and that its portrayal of young women is out of touch with the values of California families.
“I want to be clear: I do not condone Steve Hilton's "Just Try It" video. My campaign was not consulted, nor alerted to its release. I emphatically denounce the use of young women as a political tool. California families deserve better, and as AG, I will fight every day to protect our girls, young women, and parental rights. I guarantee it.”
Original post
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was Steve Hilton's "Just Try It" campaign ad appropriate?
On October 1, 2026, Republican candidate for governor Steve Hilton posted a 53-second ad titled Just Try It, California. Two young women sit in a dimly lit bedroom, one coaxes the other to try something new, and the scene ends with a mail-in ballot marked for Hilton over Democrat Xavier Becerra. Sonja Shaw and Michael Gates, who have campaigned alongside Hilton, and the pastor Jack Hibbs criticized the ad, Democrats including Rep. Robert Garcia denounced it, and Hilton and Spencer Pratt defended it. Hilton said the campaign was trying to make a point in a provocative, satirical way and that it grieves him that some viewers were upset. The dispute is over whether the ad was an appropriate way to campaign.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Gates posted this statement at 2:14 p.m. Pacific on October 2, 2026, and attached his campaign's press release, titled "Gates Condemns Hilton Ad: Fighting for Families Means Respecting Women," with Lana Clay, campaign manager, as the contact. The quotation in the statement is the post's own text. The release is longer and calls the video's portrayal of young women sexualized.
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About this source
A Los Angeles Times report by Seema Mehta, published October 3, 2026 and updated October 4. It quotes Gates, Shaw, Rep. Robert Garcia, Hilton in an interview, Becerra campaign spokesman Jonathan Underland, former California Republican Party chair Jessica Millan Patterson and Fred Karger, describes Hibbs's Facebook Live post, and reports that Democratic Party chairman Rusty Hicks also condemned the ad without quoting him. It describes Gates as a member of Hilton's "Golden Ticket" on the November 3 ballot and says Shaw has occasionally campaigned alongside Hilton.
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About this source
CalMatters report by Jeanne Kuang. It quotes Shaw's post, Gates's statement and Jack Hibbs's remarks, a Monday phone interview with Hilton, and Republican ad maker Fred Davis. It reports that filmmaker Gabriel Mann made the ads for $125,000, that Hilton said the series uses real actors and is not AI-generated, and that more ads are coming.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The ad had been posted the day before and, according to the Los Angeles Times, had been viewed by millions of people. The Times describes Gates as a member of Hilton's "Golden Ticket" on the November 3 ballot and says he has frequently appeared alongside Hilton at campaign events.
After the quotation
The attached release quotes Gates as saying the video's "sexualized portrayal of young women," including the "what if my dad finds out" line, "is deeply out of touch with the values and expectations of California families," and that he also denounces "the undermining of the sanctity of the relationship between parents and their children." It describes his lawsuit as Huntington Beach city attorney over AB 1955 as action to protect the parent-child relationship.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Gates rejects the use of young women as a political tool and objects to their sexualized portrayal. His objection to the content supports this label; the lack of consultation separately explains his distance from its release.
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- Steve Hilton
More from this case
Read the full caseHilton stands by his ad in a CalMatters interview
“Anything that's strong has a strong reaction.”Read statement
Jack Hibbs calls the Hilton ad grotesque and insensitive but says he will still vote for Hilton
“Steve Hilton's "Try It" ad? Grotesque. Insensitive. Somebody on his team made an ignorant decision, and I'm furious. But for California's greater good, for your good, I'm still voting for Steve. His policies are statesmanship-like. No one matches him. This election, from the top of the ballot down, needs your vote for TEAM RED because Team Blue has destroyed this with 100% total control of California for over sixteen years now.”Read statement
Steve Hilton says the ad was a satirical way to make a point and asks critics for grace
“But it's also true that many people, many of you, may have been offended by that ad. Now, of course, that was never anybody's intention. We were trying to make a point in a provocative way, in a satirical way. No one was ever trying to offend anyone. But I know that many of you were offended, and I've had those conversations, and it grieves me to understand how that made you feel. And I really want to say to you very directly that I get it, and I understand it, and it grieves me that you've been upset by this. But I also want to ask you to understand what we are doing, why we're doing it, and to ask for some grace as well as understanding.”Read statement
Cite this record
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- The Dispute Index
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- Michael Gates says he does not condone the Hilton ad and denounces using young women as a political tool
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/4894-in-an-x-post-gates-wrote-that-he
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Michael Gates says he does not condone the Hilton ad and denounces using young women as a political tool". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4894-in-an-x-post-gates-wrote-that-he