Eric Michael Swalwell Bio
Eric Michael Swalwell is an American lawyer and politician serving as the United States representative for California’s 14th congressional district since 2023. He previously represented California’s 15th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Swalwell has built a national profile through his work on the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, his early embrace of social media, and his role as a co-chair of the House Democratic Steering Committee. He is also a candidate for governor of California in 2026.
Born in Sac City, Iowa, and raised in Dublin, California, Swalwell has combined a background in law with a steady rise through local and federal office. Before his election to Congress, he served as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County and as a member of the Dublin City Council. He first reached national attention in 2012 when he defeated 40-year incumbent Pete Stark, a result that signaled generational change in Bay Area Democratic politics.
Early Life and Background
Eric Michael Swalwell was born on November 16, 1980, in Sac City, Iowa. He is the oldest of four sons of Eric Nelson Swalwell and Vicky Joe Swalwell, both of whom are Republicans. During his early childhood, his father served as police chief in Algona, Iowa. The family later moved west and eventually settled in Dublin, California, where Swalwell attended Wells Middle School and graduated from Dublin High School in 1999. As a child, he suffered from Bell’s palsy, a temporary paralysis of the face, and wore an eyepatch during his treatment.
After high school, Swalwell attended Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, where he played soccer on a scholarship for the Campbell Fighting Camels from 1999 to 2001. He broke both his thumbs during his second year, which ended his scholarship. He transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in government and politics in 2003. He then received a Juris Doctor in 2006 from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in Baltimore.
At the University of Maryland, College Park, Swalwell was active in student government, serving as Vice President of Campus Affairs for the Student Government Association. He was an elected member of the Student-Faculty-Staff University Senate and a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. He also served as a student liaison to the College Park City Council, a role that inspired other college towns to consider similar arrangements. The September 11 terrorist attacks occurred during his college years and helped shape his decision to pursue public service.
Path to US Politics
Swalwell’s path into politics began in 2001 and 2002, when he worked as an unpaid intern for United States Representative Ellen Tauscher, who represented California’s 10th congressional district. He focused on legislative research and constituent outreach during a period that included the September 11 attacks. Using his position in the Student Government Association, he helped create a public-private college scholarship program for students who had lost parents in the attacks, an effort he has described as his first legislative achievement.
After graduating from law school, Swalwell returned to California and worked as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County. He became active in local government in Dublin, serving on the Dublin Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission from 2006 to 2008 and on the Dublin Planning Commission from 2008 to 2010. In 2010, he won election to the Dublin City Council. While running for Congress, an anonymous group attempted to recall him from the council, but the effort was later abandoned.
Eric Michael Swalwell Career
Early Career (2001-2012)
Swalwell’s early political career combined legal training, prosecutorial experience, and local office. After his internship with Representative Ellen Tauscher and his work in student government, he returned to California and joined the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office as a deputy district attorney. His prosecutorial work gave him practical courtroom experience that he later cited as preparation for legislative problem-solving.
His local government service in Dublin began on the Dublin Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission and continued on the Dublin Planning Commission. In 2010, he was elected to the Dublin City Council, where he served while building a congressional campaign. In September 2011, he filed to run for Congress in California’s 15th district, then held by 20-term incumbent Democrat Pete Stark. The seat, recently renumbered under California’s 2011 redistricting, would soon become one of the most closely watched races in the country.
2012 Congressional Upset and Early Terms (2012-2016)
The 2012 race between Swalwell and Pete Stark was defined by age, tone, and California’s new top-two primary system. Stark was almost 50 years older than Swalwell and had first won his seat eight years before Swalwell was born. The June primary placed Stark first with 41.8 percent and Swalwell second with 36 percent, sending both to the general election. Stark refused to debate, and Swalwell organized a mock debate with an actor playing Stark, while handing out rubber ducks to suggest Stark was too afraid to appear.
In the November general election, Swalwell defeated Stark, 52.1 percent to 47.9 percent, in a result widely viewed as a generational shift. In his first term, he served on the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. He helped lead opposition to a Transportation Security Administration decision to lift the ban on pocketknives at airport security, and the policy was eventually reversed. By the end of his first term, he had gotten three bills through the House and two signed into law, more than any other freshman.
Swalwell won re-election in 2014, 2016, and 2018 by wide margins, and quickly developed a national reputation for his creative use of social media. In April 2016, The Hill dubbed him the Snapchat king of Congress, and he used Facebook Live and Periscope to broadcast House Democrats’ gun-violence sit-in in June 2016. In 2014, he helped establish the bipartisan United Solutions Caucus, a group of freshman House members who met regularly to find areas of agreement.
Intelligence Committee and National Profile (2017-2020)
During his second term, Swalwell joined the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and became ranking member of its Central Intelligence Agency Subcommittee. In February 2016, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi elevated him to vice-chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, and in December 2016 he was named co-chair of the House Democratic Steering Committee. In April 2015, he founded Future Forum, a group of young House Democrats focused on issues affecting millennials, including student loan debt.
After the 2016 election, Swalwell and Representative Elijah Cummings introduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act to create an independent commission on foreign interference in the 2016 election. He also became a constant presence on national news networks throughout 2017, commenting on the investigations into links between Trump associates and Russian officials. In 2018, the United States Department of Justice under the Trump administration seized his personal data, an action that also targeted House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff. In January 2021, Swalwell served as an impeachment manager during President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial.
Presidential Bid and Recent Years (2019-2025)
On April 8, 2019, Swalwell announced his candidacy for president on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with gun control as the central focus of his campaign. He made a formal announcement at Dublin High School on April 14, 2019. His polling average never rose above one percent, and on July 8, 2019, he withdrew from the race. He later endorsed Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.
Following redistricting in 2022, Swalwell moved from California’s 15th district to the redrawn 14th district, which covers most of eastern Alameda County. In January 2023, Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed him from the House Intelligence Committee. In March 2021, he filed a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Representative Mo Brooks, and Rudy Giuliani over the January 6 attack on the Capitol. In November 2025, Swalwell announced a campaign for governor of California in 2026, seeking to succeed term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Swalwell’s signature moments was his 2012 upset of 40-year incumbent Pete Stark, a race that put a fresh face on Bay Area politics. His early embrace of social media, including a 2013 Vine video of his vote against a 20-week abortion ban, helped redefine how members of Congress communicate with constituents. His service as an impeachment manager during Trump’s second trial and his role on the Intelligence Committee during the Russia investigation cemented his status as a national political figure.
Eric Michael Swalwell Career Wins
Since his first victory in 2012, Eric Michael Swalwell has won every congressional race he has entered, often by wide margins. He has also built influence within the House Democratic Caucus through leadership roles on key committees and caucuses.
Congressional Election Highlights
Swalwell first won California’s 15th congressional district in 2012, defeating Pete Stark 52.1 percent to 47.9 percent. He won re-election in 2014 with 69.8 percent of the vote, in 2016 with 73.8 percent, in 2018 with 73.0 percent, and in 2020 with 70.9 percent. After redistricting in 2022, he won the new 14th district with 69.3 percent of the vote. In 2024, he won a seventh term with 67.8 percent of the vote against Republican Vin Kruttiventi.
Other Wins and Achievements
Beyond elections, Swalwell founded Future Forum in 2015, launched the bipartisan Sharing Economy Caucus with Representative Darrell Issa in 2015, and was named co-chair of the House Democratic Steering Committee in 2016. He has also helped pass legislation, including the Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law in 2014 to encourage donations for victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
| Position | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Representative, California 15th District | 52.1% vs. Pete Stark | 2012 |
| U.S. Representative, California 15th District | 69.8% vs. Hugh Bussell | 2014 |
| U.S. Representative, California 15th District | 73.8% vs. Danny Reid Turner | 2016 |
| U.S. Representative, California 15th District | 73.0% vs. Rudy Peters | 2018 |
| U.S. Representative, California 15th District | 70.9% vs. Alison Hayden | 2020 |
| U.S. Representative, California 14th District | 69.3% vs. Alison Hayden | 2022 |
| U.S. Representative, California 14th District | 67.8% vs. Vin Kruttiventi | 2024 |
Eric Michael Swalwell Family
Family Background and Public Service Lineage
Swalwell is the oldest of four sons of Eric Nelson Swalwell, who served as police chief in Algona, Iowa, and Vicky Joe Swalwell. Both of his parents are Republicans. The family moved from Iowa to California during his childhood and eventually settled in Dublin, where he attended local public schools. His parents’ background in public service and community involvement helped shape his early interest in government and law.
Personal Life
Swalwell married his second wife, Brittany Ann Watts, a sales director at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, in October 2016. The couple has a son, born in 2017, a daughter, born in 2018, and a third child, born in 2021. Swalwell identifies as Protestant. In 2020, he purchased a home in the Eckington neighborhood of Washington, D.C.