Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), a Democratic candidate for governor of California, pushed back on claims that he’s not a resident of the Golden State.

Tom Steyer, a rival candidate in the race, used the claims to challenge Swalwell’s gubernatorial eligibility.

CBS News explained further:

In the declaration, filed on March 6, Swalwell’s landlord states under penalty of perjury that the congressman has rented and lived at her Livermore property since 2017.

The landlord says Swalwell keeps significant belongings at the residence, receives mail there, and is registered to vote at that address.

Swalwell also submitted his own declaration stating that he holds a California driver’s license and is a licensed attorney with the State Bar of California. State Bar records confirm his law license has remained active since he was admitted to the bar in 2006.

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The declarations were filed last week, one day after fellow Democratic gubernatorial candidate and billionaire climate activist, Tom Steyer, petitioned the California Secretary of State (SOS) to “enforce the (residency) requirements of the California Constitution,” urging “robust legal proceedings as to whether Swalwell is eligible to serve as Governor.”

The California Constitution includes a five-year residency requirement for gubernatorial candidates, which the Secretary of State has long argued “violates the U.S. Constitution and is unenforceable.”

According to The Sacramento Bee, Steyer’s attorney, Ryan Hughes, called Swalwell a California resident “on paper only.”

Swalwell faces allegations of purchasing a home in Washington, D.C., and registering to vote in a Livermore home he doesn’t own.

The Democrat lawmaker’s residency came into question in a court filing earlier this year.

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In the letter, Hughes asks Weber to have her office “re-evaluate its legal position that the California Constitution’s residency requirements to run for Governor are unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution.”

Swalwell, according to Hughes, would be “unlikely to meet the basic residency requirements to run for Governor.”

“If elected, questions of legitimacy would hang over Swalwell, allowing the Trump Administration to sow doubt, exploit the ambiguity, and advance its perverse agendas,” the letter continued. “The Trump Administration could question Swalwell’s legitimacy as Governor, and, therefore, imperil California’ receipt of federal funds, the state’s ability to deploy the California National Guard, and act in emergencies.”

KRON4 reached out to the Steyer campaign for further comment and received the following response from a campaign spokesperson:

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“Our campaign submitted a letter to the Secretary of State seeking clarification about his eligibility to run for governor under California’s residency requirements. With so much at stake in this election and this administration making anti-democratic moves all across the country, we hope that the Congressman can resolve this issue in order to avoid Donald Trump or Republican extremists exploiting it down the line or creating confusion for voters later in the process.”

At issue is the fact that Swalwell (D-Dublin) owns a home in Washington D.C. and merely rents a room in a home in Livermore, where he is registered to vote. Swalwell’s campaign has hit back at the allegations, calling them “baseless,” and has issued a letter co-signed by 11 other California Congressional Democrats.

 

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