Bay Area Congressman Running For CA Governor Accused Of Not Living In State: Reports

DUBLIN, CA — Filmmaker and right-wing activist Joel Gilbert has filed a petition alleging that Rep. Eric Swalwell is ineligible to run for California governor because he does not live in the state. The California constitution requires candidates to live in the state for at least five years before running.

In court filings and a website called “swalwellisdisqualified.com,” Gilbert alleges that Swalwell – an East Bay congressional representative who declared his candidacy for governor in November – declared his Washington, D.C. home as his “principal residence” in mortgage filings. Gilbert also alleged that Swalwell submitted false candidate filings that list his Sacramento attorney’s office address as his home address.

“This means Eric Swalwell, by his own sworn declaration, is not domiciled in the state of California. And because domicile, and not mere mailing address, is the standard for gubernatorial eligibility according to California law, Swalwell is legally disqualified from becoming governor and must withdraw his announcement immediately,” Gilbert wrote in an article on the conservative website The Gateway Pundit.

The Swalwell campaign dismissed the lawsuit as a “nonsense claim,” and said that Swalwell lists his Sacramento office as a residence for personal safety reasons.

"Since joining Congress, Eric Swalwell has always had a residence in the Bay Area. He has always had a California driver’s license, paid California taxes, and starts his California mornings with Johnny’s Donuts maple bars in Dublin. Because of the thousands of death threats the Congressman has received, it is perfectly legal to list a campaign office as the address for his legal filings,” reads a statement Swalwell’s campaign shared with numerous news outlets.

“This nonsense claim comes from a MAGA blogger who made a film claiming Elvis is alive. We look forward to beating him in court. Swalwell has represented his Congressional district since the 2012 election and before that he was on the Dublin City Council and planning commission. It is perfectly normal for campaigns to list their treasurer's or lawyer's address on these types of forms."

Gilbert did in fact make a film in 2012 called “Elvis Found Alive” that argues that Elivs Presley was alive and living in Simi Valley, California.

Patch has reached out to Swalwell’s campaign for further comment.

Swalwell has listed Dublin, California as his home the seven times he’s run for Congress, according to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by The Daily Mail.

Swalwell, 45, is a former prosecutor and member of the Dublin City Council who has served in the House of Representatives for seven terms since 2012, and has remained a vocal Trump critic who served as House manager in Trump’s 2021 impeachment trial. In November, he announced his candidacy on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, saying that California needs a “fighter and a protector” who will “bring prices down, lift wages up.”

SEE ALSO:

• Bay Area Congressman Eric Swalwell Joins California Governor's Race
• Eric Swalwell Says He Was Threatened By Former 49er Fullback