California gubernatorial race continues to heat up, Trump critic Rep. Eric Swalwell joins the mix
Bay Area Democrat Eric Swalwell, an annoying foil and frequent target of President Trump and Republicans, announced Thursday his candidacy for California governor.
The congressman announced his candidacy on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night ABC show, adding a touch of Hollywood flavor to a crowded and somewhat dull race in which candidates are looking for ways to make a splash in the 2026 election.
Voter interest in the race remains relatively subdued, especially after two of California’s most prominent Democrats — former Vice President Kamala Harris and current U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla — opted out of the race after months of speculation. About 44% of registered voters said in late October that they had not chosen a preferred candidate to lead California, the most populous U.S. state and the world’s fourth-largest economy.
However, the lack of a blockbuster candidate in the race continues to draw others into the fold. Billionaire hedge fund founder Tom Steyer announced his bid earlier this week and other prominent Democrats are exploring possible candidacy.
Swalwell, a 45-year-old former Republican and former prosecutor who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020, said his decision was driven by the serious problems facing California and the threat to the state and the country with Trump in the White House.
“People are scared, prices are high, and I think the next governor of California has two jobs — one is to keep the worst president ever from our homes, our streets and our lives,” Swalwell told The Times. “The second job is to create what I call a new California, especially when it comes to housing and affordability, we have the highest unemployment rate in the country, the average age of first-time homebuyers is 40, so we need to bring that down.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is unable to run for re-election due to term limits, is considering a run for president in 2028.
None of the candidates in the race, including Swalwell, has the statewide notoriety, success or fundraising prowess of recent governors like Newsom, California political icon Jerry Brown and movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“If you look at the past three governors, they all have personalities,” Newsom’s former chief of staff Jim Deb said at a USC political conference on Tuesday. “When you look at the field now, most people don’t know much about” the candidates in the crowded race, despite their political bona fides.
Nearly a dozen high-profile Democrats and Republicans are running for governor next year, including: former Irvine Rep. Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, state Sheriff. Public Instruction Tony Thurmond; former Finance Director Betty Yee and conservative commentator Steve Hilton. Speculation continues about billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso and Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta may run.
On Thursday, Thurmond proposed taxing the wealthy to fund education, health care, fire protection and construction. The proposal was seen in part as a subtle dig at Steyer and Caruso, both of whom have used their wealth to fund previous campaigns for office.
“Opponents say California’s super-rich already pay enough and taxing billionaires will stifle innovation and force companies out of our state,” he said in an online video. “I don’t buy it.”
In an ad that begins airing Friday, Steyer points to his decision to leave the hedge fund he founded in California as an example of his desire to give back to the state’s residents.
“It’s really that simple. Fix the cost of living crisis or get out. Californians are some of the hardest-working people in the country. But the question is who benefits,” he said in the ad, arguing that he took on corporations that refused to pay state taxes, as well as oil and tobacco companies. “Let’s get to the point: It’s too expensive to live here.”
Porter also went after Steyer, another sign that the race is heating up as the June primary approaches.
“We have a new billionaire in the race who claims he will fight the industries he made rich by helping to develop — fossil fuel companies, tobacco and private immigration detention facilities — at a huge cost to Californians,” she wrote on The X on Wednesday.
The former congresswoman has recently become the target of attacks by her Democratic opponents in the gubernatorial race after videos emerged of her cursing reporters and cursing aides. Yi said she should drop out of the race, and Villaraigosa attacked her in ads.
Villaraigosa also attacked Becerra for his connection to the scandal that rocked Sacramento last week involving the transfer of funds from one of Becerra’s campaign accounts to his former chief of staff while he was in the Biden administration.
“We don’t have a strong opposition party in California, so you’re going to end up seeing a lot of this action on the dance floor in the primary, obviously among Democrats, which will be interesting,” said Elizabeth Ashford, an adviser to current Speaker Robert Rivas who has worked for Schwarzenegger, Brown and Harris. “There’s obviously a lot of long-term relationships, long-term loyalties and interactions between these people. So what happens? There’s a big question mark.”
The ability to protect California from Trump’s policies and political retaliation and address the state’s affordability, housing and homelessness crises will be key to Swalwell’s potential path to the governor’s mansion. His choice to announce his decision on Kimmel’s show – which was suspended by Walt Disney-owned ABC under pressure from Trump after Kimmel made comments about the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk – is telling.
Kimmel thanked Swalwell for his support during this time, which included the congressman distributing pro-Kimmel merchandise to colleagues in Washington, D.C., before the two discussed the state’s future.
“I love California, it’s the greatest state in the world. State,” Swalwell said. “But that’s why it pisses me off to see Californians running through the fields where they work with the help of ICE agents or the military on our streets. It’s horrible. Cancer research is being canceled. It looks bad. And our state, this great state, needs a warrior and a protector, someone who can lower prices and raise wages.”
Californians have a history of announcing campaigns on late-night television. Schwarzenegger launched his 2003 gubernatorial campaign on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno. Swalwell announced his failed bid for president on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
Swalwell said he has traveled to nearly 40 countries as a member of the House Intelligence Committee and will try to use the relationships he built through creating the ambassador program to find global research funding for California, given the Trump administration’s cuts to cancer research and other programs.
The congressman is perhaps best known for criticizing Trump on cable news shows. But he also faced plenty of attacks.
In 2020, Swalwell came under scrutiny for his ties to Chinese spy Fang Fang, who raised money for his congressional campaign. He severed ties with her in 2015 after intelligence officials briefed him and other members of Congress on China’s infiltration of the Legislature. He has not been accused of misconduct.
He is also under investigation by the Justice Department over mortgage fraud charges, which he sees as retaliation for his harsh criticism of Trump.
Swalwell served on the East Bay city of Dublin’s City Council before being elected to Congress in 2012, defeating Democratic Rep. Pete Stark.
Swalwell, an Iowa native, grew up in Dublin, which he said was “a low-income expected town” that was smeared at the time as a “scrublin.” After law school, he helped transform Dublin by serving on the local planning committee, he said. The town has added housing, attracted Fortune 500 employers, exponentially increased the number of students attending college, and tapped developers to improve schools, resources for seniors, and police and fire services.
“We have a Whole Foods, but no one can afford it,” he said.
