Eric Swalwell (File AP)
Eric Swalwell (House Representative), a long-time critic of US President Donald Trump, has formally entered the California governor’s race, intensifying an already crowded Democratic contest to succeed Gavin Newsom. Announcing his campaign on his website, the seven-term Bay Area Congress member said he is running “with fresh ideas and tremendous heart” and later discussed his decision on Jimmy Kimmel show.Swalwell said rising costs and growing public anxiety pushed him into the race. “I’m running for Governor because prices are too high and people are scared,” he wrote on his campaign page.The late entry reflects ongoing uncertainty in the Democratic lineup, where no candidate has emerged as a clear favourite. Representative Katie Porter, once viewed as a frontrunner, has struggled after a series of viral videos. Former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra and ex-Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have yet to gain significant traction in polls. Other declared contenders – state schools chief Tony Thurmond, former state controller Betty Yee, entrepreneur Stephen J Cloobeck and former assemblymember Ian Calderon – remain at the lower end of voter support. The field may expand further, with billionaire businessmen Tom Steyer and Rick Caruso still weighing bids, and some Democratic strategists urging Attorney General Rob Bonta to reconsider entering the race.Swalwell, who first rose to prominence by unseating a four-decade Democratic incumbent, has built his national profile on his frequent clashes with Trump. He referenced that history during his television appearance, saying, “I’ve been in these fights as a city council member up in Dublin, my hometown, as a prosecutor in Oakland and taking on the most corrupt president ever in the US Congress, but I’m ready to bring this fight home.”His prominence has also attracted political attacks. A Trump administration official last week accused him of mortgage fraud and claimed to have referred the matter to the US department of justice – echoing similar allegations made against other Trump adversaries. Swalwell has previously faced criticism from the political right over past interactions with a Chinese national later identified as a spy; he has said he cooperated with the FBI and severed ties once alerted.Despite strong name recognition among Democratic grassroots, Swalwell enters the race with limited campaign infrastructure. He has about $500,000 in his congressional account that could be redirected, but he remains relatively unfamiliar to many Sacramento power brokers whose endorsements could prove crucial.
