In what’s already shaping up to be one of the most ideologically loaded gubernatorial races in modern California history, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) announced Thursday that he’s jumping into the 2026 contest to succeed Gavin Newsom — and, in typical Swalwell fashion, he did it on late-night TV.
Yes, the congressman known more for his cable news appearances, combative Twitter posts, and embarrassing entanglements with a suspected Chinese spy than any landmark legislation is now aiming for the top job in the nation’s most populous state.
Making the announcement on Jimmy Kimmel Live! — a venue hardly known for policy substance — Swalwell pledged to be a “protector and fighter” for California, which he immediately framed not in terms of affordability or crime or homelessness, but in his favorite political hobbyhorse: Donald Trump.
“Keep Trump out of our homes, streets and lives,” Swalwell told the San Francisco Chronicle, naming it as priority number one.
In other words, the man running for governor of a state Trump lost by over 5 million votes in 2020 is now promising to build a political platform based on resisting a figure who currently holds no office in the state. Not fixing the collapsing infrastructure, not solving the exodus of businesses, not addressing rising crime, out-of-control homelessness, or the state’s highest-in-the-nation gas prices. No — Swalwell wants to banish a Florida resident from the psychological life of California.
It’s classic Swalwell: all style, all noise, little substance.
His second priority? “Write the story of a new California,” which he says includes lower prices, business growth, and modernization — all of which sound great on paper, but are hard to square with the policies Swalwell has championed in Washington. He’s backed aggressive tax hikes, carbon restrictions, and has consistently voted with the progressive wing of the House that helped turn California’s affordability crisis into a permanent condition.
Of course, no announcement from Swalwell would be complete without a sideswipe at Trump — who hadn’t even mentioned Swalwell until Swalwell preemptively responded to a Trump post mocking Jimmy Kimmel.
“He’s going to hate tonight’s episode,” Swalwell wrote on X, clearly giddy to be in the crosshairs again.
If you think that’s petty, you’re not alone — but you’re also not his target audience.
Swalwell is casting himself as a fighter for the Resistance™, despite California’s government being completely dominated by Democrats. It’s less a policy pitch than a personal brand strategy: Trump’s foil, Newsom’s heir, and cable news’s governor-in-waiting.
He’s entering a crowded field. On the Democratic side, he’ll face off against Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, and Tom Steyer — each with their own lanes of influence, donor networks, and political baggage. On the Republican side, Steve Hilton and Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco are likely to lean hard on the law-and-order and cost-of-living message that’s gaining traction even in blue enclaves.
Swalwell is betting that his background — son of a cop, former prosecutor, and child of Republicans — will help him bridge the divide. But it’s a tough sell for a congressman who’s spent more time on MSNBC than in his own district, and who has staked his political identity on demonizing the very voters he now claims he wants to unite.
