Representative Eric Swalwell has joined a growing list of Democrats vying for California's 2026 gubernatorial nomination, adding another high-profile contender to a crowded field under the state's top-two primary system. Strategists say the influx of Democratic candidates could fragment the vote and increase the chances that a Republican advances to the general election, even as Swalwell launches his bid amid a federal referral over alleged mortgage and tax fraud tied to a Washington, D.C., home.
California's 2026 gubernatorial race is drawing a crowded field of Democratic candidates, a dynamic some Republicans hope will fragment votes in the state's top-two primary system. The primary is scheduled for June 2026 under California’s nonpartisan top-two format, in which the two highest vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election, The Daily Wire reports.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited, is expected to leave office at the end of his current term. The Daily Wire notes that several prominent Democrats are maneuvering to succeed him, though it does not report an endorsement from Newsom or a gubernatorial bid by Senator Alex Padilla.
Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California who has served in the U.S. House since 2013, announced his candidacy for governor on Thursday during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" According to The Daily Wire, Kimmel asked Swalwell what could be done to push back against President Donald Trump’s agenda, prompting Swalwell to unveil his run.
“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I love California. It’s the greatest country in the world, greatest country in the world,” Swalwell said on the show, according to The Daily Wire. “Our state, this great state, needs a fighter and a protector — someone who will bring prices down, lift wages up.” He cited his experience as a city councilmember, a prosecutor in Oakland and a vocal critic of Trump in Congress, and he said he was “ready to bring this fight home.”
The outlet reports that Swalwell also posted a video on social media announcing his gubernatorial bid, focusing on two main themes: opposing Trump and making California more affordable.
Swalwell’s entry comes as he faces heightened scrutiny over his personal finances. The Daily Wire and other outlets, including the New York Post and NBC News as summarized in conservative media, report that Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte has referred Swalwell to the Department of Justice over allegations that he made false or misleading statements on loan documents tied to a $1.2 million house in Washington, D.C., that he reportedly claimed as his primary residence. The referral alleges that this designation allowed him to secure several million dollars’ worth of loans and refinancing on favorable terms.
Swalwell has denied wrongdoing and has framed the scrutiny as politically motivated retaliation by Trump and his allies, according to coverage in The Daily Wire. He has argued that the referral is part of a broader pattern of the Trump administration targeting vocal critics, noting that other Democrats have faced similar allegations.
The Daily Wire notes that Swalwell has been at the center of prior controversies, including his prominent role in promoting Trump–Russia collusion claims during Trump’s first term and his past ties to a Chinese woman later suspected of spying for Beijing. That relationship prompted criticism and contributed to his removal from the House Intelligence Committee, though a subsequent House Ethics Committee probe did not find him culpable of wrongdoing, according to other outlets.
The Democratic field features several other well-known figures. According to The Daily Wire, former Representative Katie Porter, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire activist Tom Steyer are running or preparing campaigns. The outlet also lists state schools chief Tony Thurmond among the Democrats seeking the governorship.
Porter has faced early stumbles on the trail, The Daily Wire reports, including a widely criticized CBS News interview and a leaked campaign video in which she can be heard snapping at a staffer to “get out of my f***ing shot.” Those incidents have drawn attention from conservative outlets but have not been widely covered elsewhere.
On the Republican side, The Daily Wire identifies two main contenders: Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and political commentator, and Chad Bianco, the elected sheriff of Riverside County. Both have positioned themselves as tough-on-crime candidates and critics of California’s Democratic leadership.
Citing internal and public polling, The Daily Wire reports that Hilton, Bianco and Porter often cluster near the top of early preference surveys, with narrow margins separating the leading candidates and positions frequently shifting between first and third place. Detailed polling data have not yet been widely published by independent outlets, and the specific rankings cited are based on the internal or early polling described by The Daily Wire.
Bianco told The Daily Wire that “what we’re seeing is complete disarray in the Democrat Party,” arguing that concerns over public safety and crime are drawing some moderate Democrats toward his campaign. He suggested it is theoretically possible that two Republicans could advance to the general election if the Democratic vote splinters among multiple candidates.
Hilton sounded an optimistic note about his chances. “I’m very confident not just that I’m gonna get into the top two ... but I’m actually gonna win this race, because California is just so sick of what’s going on,” he said, according to The Daily Wire. He accused Democrats of creating a culture of “arrogance and corruption” through one-party rule in Sacramento.
California’s top-two primary system has, in past cycles, allowed two candidates from the same party to advance. In the 2016 U.S. Senate race, for example, Democrats Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez finished first and second in the primary, leaving Republicans without a general-election candidate, a fact noted by The Daily Wire to illustrate how vote-splitting can shape outcomes.
Earlier this month, voters approved Proposition 50, a state ballot measure drawing extensive coverage from The Daily Wire, which says the measure effectively added several congressional seats in California that favor Democrats through redistricting changes. Hilton told the outlet he does not believe Proposition 50 will significantly affect the governor’s race, arguing that statewide dynamics and dissatisfaction with Democratic leadership will matter more than any single ballot measure.
With more than a year and a half before the 2026 election, the field remains fluid. But the combination of a crowded Democratic roster, a high-profile Republican bench and the ongoing legal and political drama surrounding Swalwell’s mortgage referral is already shaping what is expected to be one of the nation’s most closely watched governor’s races.
