Swalwell Leads Democrats In New CA Governors Poll

DUBLIN, CA — Congressmember and former Dublin City Councilmember Eric Swalwell is the top polling Democrat in the race for California governor, according to a new Emerson College/Inside California Politics poll.

According to the Feb. 18 poll, Swalwell polls at 14%, followed by former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter at 10%, followed by billionaire entrepreneur and environmentalist Tom Steyer at 9 percent. Republican Steve Hilton, a conservative pundit, leads the poll at 17%, followed by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 14 percent. 21% of respondents were undecided.

Support for Swalwell has increased by two points since December, while support for Hilton and Steyer has risen five points, according to the poll.

The two candidates who receive the most votes in the June primary will advance to the general election in November, regardless of party.

Swalwell, 45, has represented California’s 14th congressional district since 2023, and represented the former 14th district from 2013 to 2023, which covers a similar swath of eastern Alameda County. He was raised in Dublin, and became a deputy district attorney in Alameda County. During that time, he served on the Dublin Planning Commission and several other commissions, and was elected to the Dublin City Council in 2010.

In 2012, he defeated 40-year incumbent Pete Stark in an upset win to represent the 14th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. During his time in congress, he served on the Homeland Security and Judiciary and Intelligence committees, and became known as a staunch Trump foe with a pugnacious social media presence.

He announced his candidacy in November on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he promised to “bring prices down, lift wages up.” Though his website does not list specific policy positions, he wrote that California’s next governor has two jobs: “One, to keep the worst president in history out of our homes, out of our streets, and out of our lives…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 take in it? Nothing.”

Swalwell has increased his presence by participating in numerous town halls around the state, and becoming a regular fixture on cable news. He has received the high-profile endorsements of Sen. Adam Schiff, as well as California Professional Firefighters, the California Medical Association, and many local politicians. Vice Mayor Kashef Qaadri is the only Dublin politician, either current or former, listed on his endorsement page.

SEE ALSO:

• Bay Area Congressman Eric Swalwell Joins California Governor's Race
• Billionaire Tom Steyer Running For California Governor As A Populist
• Political Scandal Threatens Xavier Becerra's Bid For CA Governor
• CA Republican Pulls Ahead In Crowded Governor's Race, New Poll Says