California gubernatorial candidate hosts block party in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. (NBC, KYMA) - Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for California governor, said if elected, he will not let the state become a socialist, communist state.

Hilton made the marks over the weekend at a block party campaign rally in San Jose's Vietnamese community.

He condemned what he called a "corrupt, failed, useless regime" running California.

"I understand what it means when you have a governor who tries to steal power away. Because my family came from such a place. They came from a communist country. They were refugees from Hungary, from communism, so I can be born in a free country. So, I know exactly what it means to stand up and fight against socialism, against communism," Hilton remarked.

Hilton called his candidacy an "uphill battle."

Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans nearly two-to-one in California, and California hasn't elected a Republican governor in 20 years.