After joking that California was \u201cthe greatest country in the world,\u201d to laughs from the Los Angeles studio audience, Swalwell grew serious and decried how Californians have been disproportionately targeted by a second Trump administration, whether through vengeful immigration raids or the cancellation of critical cancer and health research.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis great state needs a fighter and a protector,\u201d Swalwell said.<\/p>\n In a video posted to his\u00a0campaign website<\/a>, which went live shortly before his appearance on \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d aired, Swalwell says \u201cno one will keep California safer\u201d than he will. He name-drops Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi \u2014 the San Francisco titan of Democratic politics who recently announced her own retirement \u2014 and points to her decisions to appoint him to the House Intelligence Committee and as one of four Trump impeachment managers following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.\u00a0<\/p>\n Swallwell\u2019s announcement comes a day after billionaire liberal activist\u00a0Tom Steyer announced he is running<\/a>\u00a0to replace Newsom when he terms out in 2027. At least six other high-profile Democrats are also running, including former Rep. Katie Porter, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Prominent Republican challengers include Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News contributor Steve Hilton.\u00a0<\/p>\n The challenge for the seven-term congressman, who said recently he was among the latest of Trump\u2019s political enemies to be\u00a0targeted for investigation<\/a>\u00a0by the Justice Department, will be proving he can govern for Californians at home in addition to sparring with Republicans on the national stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe can say that we\u2019re the fourth largest economy in the world \u2014 and we are, and I love to brag about that \u2014 but what does that mean if you can\u2019t afford to live here?\u201d Swalwell told Kimmel on Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n On that front, Swalwell offers no concrete policy promises in his initial launch, but instead cites his experience as a planning commissioner and city councilmember for his hometown of Dublin, the Bay Area suburb nestled east of Hayward and west of Livermore. He represents the same region in Congress.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve worked as a planning commissioner and city councilman in a place of low income and low expectations and helped lead my hometown to become one of California\u2019s most prosperous cities,\u201d Swalwell\u2019s campaign site says. \u201cI\u2019ll take that approach to the whole state.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/211130_CalmattersLogo.jpg\")
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