Residing in California has given me a front-row seat to the political ascent of Gavin Newsom. From his early days as mayor of San Francisco to his current stint as governor, Newsom has climbed the political ladder despite challenges such as soaring living costs and ongoing issues with crime and homelessness affecting the state.

Despite witnessing these developments, I find myself astounded by the latest frontrunner in the polls for California’s upcoming gubernatorial race. With Newsom unable to seek re-election due to term limits, Representative Eric Swalwell of the 14th district has emerged as a leading contender. Known more for his provocative social media presence than his legislative achievements, Swalwell seems an unlikely candidate for the state’s top job.

The situation truly highlights the unpredictable nature of politics.

Really?

California’s jungle primary is set for June, with the top two candidates advancing to the November election. Surprisingly, Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are showing strong numbers in what is traditionally a Democratic stronghold. In fact, some polls even suggest that Hilton is leading the race, outpacing Swalwell.

As Jim Carrey’s character Lloyd Christmas famously pondered in “Dumb and Dumber,” “So you’re saying there’s a chance?”

This is basically what a freshman football player can easily do 15 reps of… https://t.co/1wu6xWrr1B

— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) July 30, 2025

The jungle primary will be held in June, and the top two finishers will move on to the general election in November. Republicans Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are polling surprisingly well, given that the state is as blue as the Pacific Ocean. In fact, many polls show that Hilton leads the pack, not Swalwell.

As Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) famously mused in Dumb and Dumber, “So you’re saying there’s a chance?”

But Swalwell has a few hills to climb on his desired journey to Sacramento. His deep-pocketed rival, former presidential candidate and billionaire investor Tom Steyer, is alleging that Mr. Macho doesn’t even live in the state:

In a letter Thursday, Steyer’s attorney, Ryan Hughes called Swalwell, D-Dublin, a California resident “on paper only,” noting the Democrat purchased a home in Washington D.C. and is registered to vote in a Livermore home he doesn’t own. Hughes urged California Secretary of State Shirley Weber to reconsider the office’s stance, dating at least as far back as 2018, that the state constitution’s five-year residency requirement “violates the U.S. Constitution and is unenforceable.”

“If elected, questions of legitimacy would hang over Swalwell, allowing the Trump Administration to sow doubt, exploit the ambiguity, and advance its perverse agendas,” Hughes said in the letter, which was first reported by Politico.

.@ericswalwell “refutes” challenges to California residency by proving he *rents a room* from someone linked to his staff. He owns a home in the DC area. It might be a better look to own in California (or at least rent a whole apt), and rent a room in DC. https://t.co/souhlHxohg

— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) March 11, 2026

Swalwell purchased a $1.2 million home in the D.C. area in 2020 and says he rents his California residence. We’ll just have to see if Steyer can make any headway with this issue, but in the meantime, the billionaire might want to focus his attacks on this: Swalwell doesn’t actually appear to do the job he was elected to do, so there’s no reason to believe he’d show up to the office as governor.

NEW: Rep. Eric Swalwell, who’s running for California governor, has missed the most floor votes of any active member of the House, according to an analysis by The Post.

He’s even missed more votes than Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who DIED in March. THINK ABOUT THAT

Meanwhile,… pic.twitter.com/dzzPK8HBxk

— Mike Netter (@nettermike) December 17, 2025

Meanwhile, the celeb-obsessed pol has missed votes to announce his campaign on Jimmy Kimmel’s show & attend a “White Lotus” HBO premiere. He’s received generous donations from Hollywood A-listers, including $15K from Sean Penn and $10K from Robert De Niro, per campaign records.

Donations from bug-eyed wacktivist actors Sean Penn and Robert De Niro, huh? That tells you pretty much everything you need to know about Swalwell.

Editor’s Note: California is the poster child for everything that is wrong with the Democrat Party and the “progressive” movement.