He has all the liberal policies and anti-Trump bona fides needed to become California Governor.
But US Rep. Eric Swalwell is facing one major hurdle in his bid to succeed Gavin Newsom – allegedly he doesn’t actually live there.
The California constitution requires gubernatorial candidates to have resided in the Golden State for the previous five years.
But a new lawsuit filed by conservative activist and filmmaker Joel Gilbert claims the ‘home address’ listed on Swalwell’s election paperwork is actually a lawyers’ office.
Gilbert claims the Democrat’s real abode is a $1.2 million, six-bed mansion in Washington, D.C. which he shares with his wife Brittany Watts, 40, and their three children.
According to the complaint, the swish property was listed as the couple’s ‘principal residence’ when they took out a mortgage in April 2022.
Swalwell, who is considered one of the favorites to win the gubernatorial race, does not appear to own any property in California at all, Gilbert claims in his five-page petition for writ of mandate filed against California Secretary of State Shirley Weber.
He accuses the lefty congressman of perjury and urges Weber to declare him ineligible to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom in November’s election.
‘Eric Swalwell has no California address,’ Gilbert told the Daily Mail.
California Rep Eric Swalwell is facing a lawsuit seeking to block his bid for governor over claims he does not actually live in the Golden State
The filings claim the address Swalwell has listed as his home address is actually that of a law firm in a high-rise building in Sacramento
‘So either he’s guilty of mortgage fraud in Washington, DC, or he’s ineligible to run for Governor of California, he can’t have it both ways.’
Swalwell, 45, has represented the San Francisco Bay Area in Congress since 2012. He has been one of President Trump’s most vociferous critics on issues ranging from immigration enforcement to the Epstein files.
The former prosecutor has also been a frequent target of Republican ridicule over his alleged entanglement with alleged Chinese honeytrap spy Christine Fang, known as Fang Fang.
Fang came to the US as a college student and spent years cultivating relationships with prominent California politicians, including Swalwell, reportedly working on his 2014 re-election campaign before vanishing a year later.
The scandal broke in 2020 and cost Swalwell his spot on the House Intelligence Committee, though a two-year standards probe ultimately resulted in no further action.
The California progressive announced his gubernatorial bid on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on November 20 and was quickly endorsed by left wing celebs including Sean Penn and Robert De Niro.
‘I’m running for Governor because prices are too high and people are scared,’ his Swalwell for Governor website says.
‘California’s next governor has two jobs. One, keep the worst president in history out of our homes, out of our streets, and out of our lives.
Conservative activist and filmmaker Joel Gilbert filed the lawsuit accusing Swalwell of perjury and seeking to have him disqualified from the ballot
According to Gilbert’s complaint, Swalwell’s property was listed as the couple’s ‘principal residence’ when they took out a mortgage in April 2022
The California state Constitution requires candidates to reside in the state for at least five yearsÂ
‘The second job of Governor is to bring a new California. It’s great that we can say we are the fourth largest economy in the world. But what does that mean if you work your ass off and don’t have a stake in it?’
If Gilbert has his way, it’s a job Swalwell will never get the chance to do.
A registered California voter, Gilbert is the producer behind the hard-hitting political documentaries Trump: The Art of the Insult and The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America.
His lawsuit seeks an order ‘prohibiting’ Weber from certifying Swalwell as a gubernatorial candidate, arguing the lawmaker ‘fails to satisfy the constitutional residency requirement and filed materially false candidate filings under penalty of perjury.’
The petition, filed in Sacramento County, cites Article V, section 2 of the California Constitution, which requires that the governor be a ‘resident of this state for five years immediately preceding the governor’s election.’
Gilbert says publicly recorded mortgage documents show that Swalwell signed a deed dated April 18, 2022, that describes a house in northeast Washington, D.C. as the borrower’s principal residence.
‘Public record searches reveal no current ownership or leasehold interest held by Eric Swalwell in California, nor any history of any ownership or leasehold interest based on available public records,’ the self-filed suit adds.
‘Swalwell’s congressional financial disclosures from 2011 to 2024 list no California real estate ownership.’
The lawsuit claims the Democrat’s real abode is a $1.2 million, six-bed mansion in Washington, DC, which he shares with his wife Brittany Watts and their three children
Swalwell filed a California Form 501 – Candidate Intention Statement – on December 4 giving his address as a business suite in a Capitol Mall, Sacramento, high-rise.
‘That address is not a residence. It is the office address of Swalwell’s campaign attorneys,’ Gilbert claims.
‘Form 501 is signed under penalty of perjury, and the use of a non-residential address constitutes a material representation in a filing required to establish candidate qualifications,’ he claimed
The suit asks Weber to ‘fulfill her constitutional duty’ by disqualifying Swalwell from a crowded field that includes Democrat Congresswoman Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and conservative commentator Steve Hilton.
Failing to do so would cause ‘irreparable harm’ to California voters and ‘undermine ballot integrity.’
On the seven occasions he’s run for Congress, Swalwell has designated Dublin, California as his home, according to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by the Daily Mail.
He gave the address of a two-bed house in 2011 and 2013 before switching to a PO box which he was still using when he was last elected in 2024 – two years after signing his Washington, DC mortgage.
‘Congressional candidates don’t have to live in the specific district they represent but they do have to live in the same state,’ Gilbert pointed out to the Daily Mail.
Swalwell’s Candidate Intention Statement on December 4 lists his address as a business suite in a Sacramento high-rise
Swalwell has represented the San Francisco Bay Area in Congress since 2012 and is one of former President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics
‘So these sorts of questions are not a new thing for Eric Swalwell. California voters deserve answers.’
Swalwell had an opportunity to respond to Gilbert’s allegations when the filmmaker attended his town hall earlier this month at Santa Monica High School.
Instead, Gilbert claims ‘three goons’ surrounded him and kicked him out before he had a chance to speak.
‘He only took eight questions then cut it off. I was in the photo line when they approached me and asked me what my plan was,’ Gilbert said.
‘I said I wanted to take a picture with the congressman. They said they weren’t going to allow that and told me I had to leave.
‘I believe Swalwell recognized me and he was afraid of answering questions.’
Swalwell’s office has been contacted for comment. Daily Mail has also reached out to the Secretary of State’s Office.