California Governor hopeful Eric Swalwell accused of living out of state
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s bid to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom as California’s next governor is facing a legal challenge over whether the congressman actually meets the state’s residency requirements.
RadarOnline.com has learned that a lawsuit filed in Sacramento County by conservative activist and filmmaker Joel Gilbert claims Swalwell does not live in California, despite the fact that he listed a Sacramento address on official election paperwork.
The California Constitution requires gubernatorial candidates to have lived in the state for at least five years prior to the election.
According to the petition for a mandate, the address Swalwell provided on his California Form 501 — a Candidate Intention Statement filed on Dec. 4 — is not a residence but a business suite in a Capitol Mall apartment. Gilbert claims the address belongs to Swalwell’s campaign attorneys.
“That address is not a place of 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 on a record necessary to determine the qualifications of candidates.”
Gilbert further claims that Swalwell’s real residence is a $1.2 million, six-bedroom home in northeast Washington, D.C., that he shares with his wife, Brittany Watts, and their three children. Mortgage documents from April 2022 list the property as the couple’s “primary residence.”
“Eric Swalwell does not have an address in California,” Gilbert told the newspaper Daily mail. “So either he is guilty of mortgage fraud in Washington, DC, or he is ineligible to run for governor of California. He can’t have it both ways.’
The lawsuit accuses Swalwell of perjury and urges California Secretary of State Shirley Weber to disqualify him from running in the November election. It cites Article V, Section 2 of the California Constitution, which requires the governor to be a resident of this state for “five years immediately preceding the election of the governor.”
The complaint also alleges that Swalwell does not own or lease real estate in California and alleges that his congressional financial disclosures from 2011 through 2024 do not list real estate holdings in California. Public records, Gilbert argues, show that Swalwell has no current or prior ownership or lease interest in the state.
Swalwell, 45, has represented the San Francisco Bay Area in Congress since 2012 and is considered an early favorite in the governor’s race. He announced his candidacy on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on November 20 and quickly received messages of support from celebrities like Sean Penn and Robert De Niro.
“I’m running for governor because prices are too high and people are afraid,” Swalwell’s campaign website says.
If Gilbert’s lawsuit is successful, it could prevent Swalwell from appearing on the ballot at all.
