California Governor’s Race

A conservative activist has filed a Jan. 8 petition asking California’s secretary of state to disqualify Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell from the 2026 governor’s race, arguing he fails the state constitution’s requirement that governors be residents of California for the five years before election. Filmmaker Joel Gilbert’s filing, cited by Fox News and the New York Post, says public records show no California property ownership or lease in Swalwell’s name and notes that his campaign paperwork lists his attorney’s Sacramento office rather than a home address. Swalwell’s campaign calls the challenge a “nonsense claim” from a “MAGA blogger,” saying he has continuously maintained a Bay Area residence, holds a California driver’s license, pays California taxes and used the office address because of thousands of death threats. State law leaves enforcement of the residency requirement to election officials and the courts, setting up a potential legal test of how strictly California will police eligibility in a crowded, high‑stakes contest to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2026. The episode fits a wider pattern of partisan groups using technical ballot‑access challenges against prominent candidates as gubernatorial and presidential cycles heat up.