Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell is entering the crowded California governor’s race
Rep. Eric Swalwell announced Thursday night that he will run for governor of California, the latest Democrat to join the crowded race to succeed outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Swalwell, who has served in Congress since 2013, will face a roster of prominent Democrats that includes former Rep. Katie Porter, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who entered the race to lead the deep blue state on Wednesday.
Swalwell announced his run for governor on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” On ABC. on His new campaign websitethe California Democrat focused on the need to address high costs and affordability as his reason for running for statewide office.
He said: “I am running for governor because prices are too high and people are afraid. The next governor of California has two jobs. One, to keep the worst president in history out of our homes, out of our streets, and out of our lives.”
He continued: “A lot of candidates are talking about confronting Trump. I am confronting him in real time. The lawsuit I filed on January 6 is one of the only lawsuits against the president that has survived his new presidency. Speaker Pelosi chose me to help lead the impeachment proceedings, and today, I am leading the House Democrats’ efforts to investigate January 6.”
Swalwell (45 years old) gained fame during President Donald Trump’s first term in office when he was heavily involved in the impeachment proceedings. This included his stint as House director of Trump’s second impeachment trial.
He also ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, but never voted above the low single digits and ended his bid after only a few months.
Swalwell has remained a vocal critic of Trump, making him a target of the president and his allies.
In 2021, Trump and his allies claimed that Swalwell had ties to a suspected Chinese spy and had been infiltrated by a foreign intelligence agency. Swalwell denied the allegations and the House Ethics Committee investigation concluded in 2023 without finding any wrongdoing.
Earlier this month, a top Trump administration housing official referred Swalwell to the Justice Department for a possible federal criminal investigation into allegations of mortgage and tax fraud.
The allegations relate to a home in Washington, D.C., NBC News reported. Swalwell is the fourth Democratic official to face mortgage fraud allegations in recent months.
Swalwell has also been receiving threatening messages from people who object to his political stance. In two cases this year, U.S. attorneys declined to file charges against people who threatened to kill him, a staffer in Swalwell’s office told NBC News in October.
Swalwell He was widely expected to enter The race for California governor, which lacks a clear front-runner. In California, candidates from all parties appear on the same primary ballot, and the two candidates with the highest votes advance to the general election.
In addition to Swalwell, Becerra, Porter, Steyer and Villaraigosa, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former state Comptroller Betty Yee also launched bids.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., have said they will not run.