Shot/Chaser: Eric Swalwell’s Own 2012 Words Come Back To Bite Him

SHOT:

When he was first running for Congress against a longtime incumbent in 2012, Eric Swalwell said, “I saw an incumbent that’s largely been absent has missed more votes than 80 percent of his colleagues and doesn’t live in his congressional district, and I thought it's time for new energy and ideas.”

CHASER:

• Swalwell even exceeded his own standards by missing more votes than 99.5% of his colleagues in 2025.
• Reporting today in East Bay Insiders indicates Swalwell has been registered to vote at a former senior aide’s family member’s home. It’s raising more questions about whether he has a legal residence in California — and whether he’s even eligible to run for governor.

Tom Steyer released the following statement on Swalwell going against his own promises to his constituents and failing to do the bare minimum — showing up for work:

“Eric Swalwell loves going on TV, and he’s quite good at it, but you also have to show up and do your actual job,” Steyer said. “And last year, he missed more votes than a member of Congress who died in March. He hasn’t been showing up to work, and now he’s asking for a promotion? Californians need a governor they can count on to lower costs — and I will never be outworked.”

This comes on the heels of Steyer using Swalwell’s own words against him in a video where Swalwell is seen saying, “I should be working.” In 2025, Swalwell missed 95 votes — more than Rep. Raul Grijalva missed while he was still serving in office that year. 

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