LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� There is finally a breakaway leader in California鈥檚 crowded race for governor, at least by one measure: is just about everyone鈥檚 favorite target.
In a ahead of a June primary, a burst of negative publicity aimed at the Democratic U.S. House member suggests that Swalwell’s leading rivals see him gaining momentum in a race that has been overshadowed by , turmoil in Washington and soaring prices.
To listen to his competitors, he has a no-show job in Congress, he might not live in California and he鈥檚 a sympathizer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which staged immigration raids across Los Angeles that led to violent protests. His campaign disputes those claims.
鈥淲hoever鈥檚 head starts to stick up higher than the rest, the other candidates pick up their mallets and start to knock them back down,鈥� said Democratic consultant Roger Salazar, who is not involved in the contest.
With high-profile endorsements from Democratic U.S. and the influential Service Employees International Union California 鈥� paired with favorable polling 鈥� other campaigns ramped up attacks in an apparent effort to blunt any Swalwell gains. In a race that has yet to capture the public鈥檚 attention, marquee endorsements can move votes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a kids鈥� soccer game 鈥� people move with the pack,鈥� Salazar added.
Residency questions shake up campaign
Swalwell, an Iowa native, was elected in 2012 and represents a House district east of San Francisco. He launched in April 2019 but shuttered it a few months later after failing to catch on with voters. He is perhaps best known nationally as a House manager in President Donald Trump’s during his first term in early 2021.
Billionaire hedge fund manager-turned-liberal activist , who is among a handful of leading Democrats, posted a digital ad mocking Swalwell for missing votes in Congress that depicted the congressman taking dunks in a pool while the U.S. House was calling votes, while his campaign separately questioned Swalwell’s residency status in California. According to the Swalwell campaign, the Steyer post used video that the congressman put out during the 2025 government shutdown.
, a former Fox 草莓传媒 host and one of the leading Republicans, has said Swalwell should be disqualified because of questions about his residency.
In a letter to the state’s chief elections officer earlier this month, Steyer’s campaign argued the Swalwell lived in California 鈥渙n paper鈥� and asked the office to investigate whether the congressman is eligible to serve as governor. The state constitution requires five years of residency to run for governor, but the California Secretary of State’s Office has said the provision is unenforceable.
The office did not immediately respond to an email inquiring about the status of the request.
The California Post recently sent a reporter to Swalwell’s listed address in the San Francisco Bay Area. The news outlet interviewed neighbors who said they had never seen Swalwell. Meanwhile, Swalwell’s landlord filed legal papers with the secretary of state affirming that the congressman and his wife have rented the property since 2017. 鈥淗e lives at the property,鈥� the documents said.
Swalwell said he receives hundreds of death threats and keeps his address private to protect his family, and he accused Steyer and the news outlet of putting them at risk. His campaign says his living arrangements are no different from any other House member from California. He maintains dual residences, one in the state and the other in Washington.
In a related development Friday, a state court in Sacramento issued a tentative ruling denying a petition that asked the court to block election officials from certifying Swalwell鈥檚 candidacy, arguing that he was ineligible to serve because he lived in Washington.
Swalwell missed votes in September following the death of his mother, but campaign spokesperson Micah Beasley added that the congressman 鈥渉as always been present for important or close votes.鈥�
鈥淭om Steyer has spent $100 MILLION lying about me,鈥� Swalwell posted on the social platform X.
Another leading Democrat, former Rep. , has dinged Swalwell for what she describes as his support for immigration enforcement personnel.
鈥淓ric Swalwell voted to thank ICE,鈥� Porter wrote in an email to supporters. 鈥淚CE needs to be abolished, not thanked.鈥�
His campaign confirmed that Swalwell was among 75 Democrats who voted last year in favor of a GOP-sponsored resolution condemning an attack on a Colorado demonstration that was being held which The resolution expressed 鈥済ratitude鈥� to law enforcement, including ICE.
His campaign added that he has proposed restrictions on ICE activities, including requiring agents to remove masks and display official identification. 鈥淚f there鈥檚 someone that Rep. Swalwell has gone after more than Trump, it鈥檚 ICE,鈥� Beasley said.
Candidates try to break from the pack
With mail-in voting scheduled to begin in early May, candidates are jostling for advantage in a race in which a fraction of a percentage point could decide the outcome. The election marks the first time since voters approved the state鈥檚 鈥� 鈥� primary system more than a decade ago that there has been a governor鈥檚 race with no dominant candidate, enticing a crowd of Democrats into the contest.
Indeed, Democrats are openly fretting that the party鈥檚 numerous candidates will undercut each other and allow two Republicans to advance to the November election. Even in the heavily Democratic state, an all-GOP general election is possible under the unusual top-two primary system, which puts all candidates on one ballot and advances the top-two vote-getters, regardless of party.
Recent polling by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found the field had broken into two distinct groups, with Swalwell, Hilton, Porter, Steyer and , a Republican, in close competition, with other candidates trailing.
Swalwell faces the same challenge as other Democrats 鈥� how to stand apart in a field where the candidates largely agree on many issues, including resistance to Trump’s agenda and lowering the cost of living in a state with some of the nation鈥檚 highest housing costs, taxes and utility bills.
Even with Swalwell winning a coveted endorsement from SEIU, 鈥渢here鈥檚 still a little bit of a window鈥� for another Democratic candidate to pull ahead, said Democratic political consultant Elizabeth Ashford.
鈥淭here is momentum behind Swalwell,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just don鈥檛 know that it has reached quite the tipping point of like, 鈥極K, this is the clear front-runner.鈥欌��
The uncertainty hovering over the race to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin 草莓传媒om was underscored by a rare but not unprecedented decision by the powerful California Federation of Labor Unions, which endorsed four rival Democrats 鈥� Swalwell, Steyer, Villaraigosa and Porter. Each has an extensive history working with labor.
Federation President Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher said the dynamics of the race continue to fluctuate.
鈥淚 think you鈥檙e still going to see a lot of that bouncing back and forth before it really settles in,鈥� she added.
___
Austin reported from Sacramento, California.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
