Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell joins race for California governor
By Arit John, CNN
(CNN) — Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell announced Thursday he will enter the California gubernatorial race, joining a crowded field of candidates looking to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Swalwell, a longtime adversary of President Donald Trump, announced his run on his campaign website just before his appearance on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“I came here tonight, Jimmy, to tell you and your audience that I am running to be the next governor of California,” Swalwell said.
“I will be California’s fighter and protector,” Swalwell said in a statement on his website. “Our state is under attack. The President has militarized our streets, canceled cancer research, zeroed out clean energy climate projects, and is chasing our immigrant friends and neighbors through their workplaces, kids’ schools, and houses of worship.”
No clear frontrunner has yet taken a lead in the primary. Swalwell’s entrance marks the latest turn in a contest that has remained in constant flux as politicians have declined to run, dropped out, or seen their campaigns marred in controversy.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, a former California senator and attorney general, announced in late July that she would not run for governor. Former legislative leader Toni Atkins and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis left the race earlier this year. And former Rep. Katie Porter’s campaign faltered after videos of her getting upset during an interview and yelling at a staffer went viral.
Porter’s campaign stumble created a window for Sen. Alex Padilla, a known entity who was elected statewide in 2022 after being appointed to the seat in 2020. But the senator passed on the seat in early November, stating that he was committed to continuing his work in the Senate.
Other prominent candidates include former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra; Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco; former Fox News host Steve Hilton; and the billionaire Democratic activist and former presidential candidate Tom Steyer. Newsom, who was first elected in 2018, is term-limited.
Swalwell rose to prominence during President Donald Trump’s first term, when he became a key antagonist of the president from his perch on the House Intelligence Committee. He, along with now-Senator Adam Schiff, was kicked off the committee when Republicans retook control of the US House in 2023.
The seven-term congressman also made a brief run for president in 2019, on a platform focused on gun control and the party’s need for generational change.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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CNN’s Riane Lumer contributed to this report.
