Eric Swalwell's district, numbered as the 15th district from 2013 to 2023, covers most of eastern Alameda County and part of central Contra Costa County.
56 Facts About Eric Swalwell
2.
Eric Swalwell was a first-generation college student, having briefly attended Campbell University on a soccer scholarship before earning degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
3.
Eric Swalwell was appointed to multiple municipal commissions in Dublin and later served two years on the Dublin City Council.
4.
Eric Swalwell was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2012, defeating 40-year incumbent Pete Stark in an upset.
5.
Eric Swalwell has co-chaired the House Democratic Steering Committee since 2017.
6.
Eric Swalwell was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries from April to July 2019 before dropping out and endorsing Joe Biden.
7.
Eric Swalwell was born on November 16,1980, in Sac City, Iowa.
8.
Eric Swalwell is the oldest of four sons of Eric Nelson Swalwell and Vicky Joe Swalwell, both of whom are Republicans.
9.
Eric Swalwell graduated from Wells Middle School and then from Dublin High School in 1999.
10.
Eric Swalwell attended Campbell University in North Carolina on a soccer scholarship from 1999 to 2001.
11.
Eric Swalwell broke both his thumbs during his second year in 2001, ending the scholarship.
12.
Eric Swalwell then transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in government and politics in 2003.
13.
Eric Swalwell then received a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in 2006.
14.
At the University of Maryland, Eric Swalwell served as Vice President of Campus Affairs for the Student Government Association and was an elected member of the Student-Faculty-Staff University Senate and of its executive committee.
15.
Eric Swalwell was an active member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity.
16.
Eric Swalwell often organized protests at the Maryland State House and served as a student liaison to the College Park City Council; the latter appointment inspired other college towns to consider similar arrangements.
17.
In 2001 and 2002, Eric Swalwell worked as an unpaid intern for US representative Ellen Tauscher, who represented.
18.
Eric Swalwell focused on legislative research and constituent outreach and services.
19.
In September 2011, Eric Swalwell filed to run for Congress in California's 15th district.
20.
Eric Swalwell took a leave of absence from the Dublin City Council to run for the seat.
21.
Eric Swalwell was able to contest Stark only in the general election because of California's "top two" primary system put in place by Proposition 14.
22.
The accusation was denied by Eric Swalwell and dismissed by the San Jose Mercury News, which endorsed Eric Swalwell.
23.
Eric Swalwell was challenged by Republican Hugh Bussell, a senior manager at Workday, Inc.
24.
Eric Swalwell was sworn into his second term on January 3,2015.
25.
Eric Swalwell was challenged by Republican Danny Reid Turner of Livermore.
26.
Eric Swalwell was sworn into his third term on January 3,2017.
27.
Eric Swalwell was sworn into his fourth term on January 3,2019.
28.
Eric Swalwell later called for new policies regarding cameras on the House floor.
29.
Eric Swalwell is only the third person to represent his district and its predecessors since 1945.
30.
Eric Swalwell helped lead the fight against Transportation Security Administration administrator John S Pistole's decision to lift the ban on pocketknives at airport security; the decision eventually was reversed.
31.
On December 12,2013, Eric Swalwell introduced the Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act into the House.
32.
In 2014, Eric Swalwell announced that he would serve as chairman of Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's O' Say Can You See PAC's Young Professionals Leadership Circle due to his friendship with O'Malley.
33.
Eric Swalwell retained his seat on the United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
34.
In December 2016, Eric Swalwell was named the co-chair of House Democratic Steering Committee, replacing Donna Edwards and serving with Rosa DeLauro.
35.
Eric Swalwell retained his seat on the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence but left the United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to serve on the United States House Committee on the Judiciary, and its Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, and Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law.
36.
Eric Swalwell's bill attracted support along strictly partisan lines, except for two Republicans, and ultimately failed to reach a vote in the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
37.
Eric Swalwell remained a constant presence on national news networks throughout 2017, voicing his views on the investigations.
38.
On March 5,2021, Eric Swalwell filed a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr.
39.
In December 2020, Eric Swalwell was named in an Axios story about suspected Chinese spy Fang Fang or Christine Fang, who had since at least 2012 been cultivating contacts with California politicians who the Chinese government believed had promising futures in politics.
40.
Eric Swalwell ended ties with Fang in 2015 after US intelligence briefed him and top members of Congress on concerns that Chinese agents were attempting to infiltrate Congress.
41.
Axios reported that Eric Swalwell was not accused of any impropriety and that officials did not believe that Fang obtained classified information from her contacts.
42.
Also in December 2020, the San Francisco Chronicle quoted an unnamed FBI official familiar with the investigation as saying that "Eric Swalwell was completely cooperative and under no suspicion of wrongdoing".
43.
Intelligence Committee members are term-limited and Eric Swalwell's membership expired in January 2023.
44.
Eric Swalwell released a campaign ad announcing his campaign on his social media pages.
45.
Eric Swalwell said that gun control would be the primary focus of his campaign.
46.
Eric Swalwell made a formal announcement at Dublin High School on April 14,2019.
47.
Eric Swalwell has called for greater authenticity from politicians, saying that they should not insult each other publicly and then expect to have friendly relationships "backstage", and comparing some politicians' behavior to a fake, entertainment-focused professional wrestling show.
48.
Eric Swalwell has proposed the idea of a "mobile Congress", with members casting votes remotely while spending more time in their districts.
49.
Eric Swalwell advocated the repeal of the No Child Left Behind Act, and increasing funding for education, while decreasing funding for defense.
50.
Eric Swalwell advocated creating renewable energy jobs with federal stimulus money.
51.
Eric Swalwell said he would attempt to raise the cap on the Social Security payroll tax, so that wealthier Americans would pay more into the program.
52.
In March 2013, Swalwell led the writing of an open letter to John S Pistole, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, opposing a new policy that would allow passengers to bring knives onto airplanes.
53.
In 2022, Eric Swalwell was one of 16 Democrats to vote against the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.
54.
In 2017, Eric Swalwell co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, a House bill designed to allow US states to enact laws requiring contractors to sign pledges promising not to boycott any goods from Israel and Israeli-occupied territories or their contracts would be terminated.
55.
Eric Swalwell condemned the 2019 Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria and called for possibly suspending Turkey's membership in NATO.
56.
Eric Swalwell married his second wife, Brittany Ann Watts, a sales director at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, in October 2016.