Republican nominee Steve Hilton is staring down brutally steep odds in his campaign for governor of California. Yet the former Fox News host remains determined to reverse the state’s blue political history, even as Democratic nominee Xavier Becerra leads the race.

Hilton spoke with Daily Kos through a spotty video connection while traveling to another campaign event. As he moved beneath bridges in the Los Angeles freeway system, his Elon Musk owned Starlink connection repeatedly froze and dropped.

“I’ve always felt that it’s an uphill battle, no question,” Hilton said. He acknowledged his position plainly, adding, “I’m not saying that we’re ahead. Of course not.”

Hilton nevertheless rejected the idea that the result was already settled. He argued that Californians, after 16 years of the same political direction, are ready to consider something different.

California last elected a Republican governor more than two decades ago, when Arnold Schwarzenegger won the office and served two terms. The self proclaimed centrist entered with considerable hopes but departed with a daunting approval rating and a hefty state budget deficit.

Now Hilton, who was born in Britain, is pitching another dramatic change of course. His campaign combines bold promises with tactics that carry the distinct aroma of desperation.

One example was a viral campaign video promoted with the message, “Just try it, California.” With a rainbow Pride flag visible behind them, a young girl guides the hand of a blue haired girl, whose hand remains just outside the frame, as she votes for Hilton.

“I’ve just never done anything like this before,” the voter says nervously in the video, adding that she is afraid her father will “find out.” The innuendo heavy stunt irritated people across the political spectrum, but it succeeded in drawing attention to the Republican trailing Becerra.

When Daily Kos asked whether he had considered that the video might be offensive, Hilton responded, “to whom?” with a smirk. It was a revealing answer from a campaign apparently eager to provoke attention while insisting its candidate is focused only on practical solutions.

Hilton’s policy platform begins with a proposal to eliminate taxes on the first $150,000 of income. He pointed to California’s income tax rate, described as the highest in the country, while outlining how he would account for the resulting loss of revenue.

His plan would pull $25 billion from the state’s troubled high speed rail project and impose a “5% spending reduction across all government departments.” Other promises include abolishing the state Department of Motor Vehicles and setting a flat vehicle registration rate of $73.

Even if Hilton won, his agenda would face a Democratic supermajority in the state legislature. That political reality could block the very plans he is presenting as the cure for California’s problems, but Hilton insists lawmakers would find him easy to work with.

“I’m not running as someone who wants to tell anyone what to do or how to live,” he told Daily Kos. “I’m not running on any kind of divisive issues. I’m just a very practical, problem-solving kind of attitude.”

That carefully presented demeanor is far removed from Hilton’s history of delivering hot takes on Fox News as an election denier. Hilton denies that he has changed, even as he carries his latest pitch across the political aisle and into progressive media outlets.

The challenge is obvious. Hilton must appeal to California’s blue electorate while contending with the political baggage created by his longstanding relationships with President Donald Trump and the late right wing provocateur Charlie Kirk.

“This election isn’t about who you hate in Washington,” a Hilton advertisement declared in July. Hilton also accuses Becerra, a longtime politician, of offering Californians more of “the same.”

Hilton argues that the state needs a different direction to reduce the cost of living and help young people pursue their dreams without leaving California. “That’s not going to happen if we don’t change,” he said.

With less than a month remaining before Election Day, however, Hilton has a daunting amount of ground to recover. The Republican underdog must also answer for his political relationships and his own record if he hopes to persuade California voters that his version of change is worth trying.