Steyer Challenges Swalwell’s Residency, Warns of Potential “Constitutional Crisis”
Letter to California Secy of State questions whether the Swalwell meets the state’s five-year residency requirement for governor and urges courts to resolve the issue before the election
☕️MORNING BUZZ
Vol. VI, No. 1,215
—Gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer is asking California’s secretary of state to reconsider the state’s position on residency requirements for governor, arguing that questions about where fellow candidate Eric Swalwell lives could trigger a “constitutional crisis” if left unresolved.
In a March 5 letter, the Steyer campaign’s general counsel urged Shirley Weber, California’s secretary of state, to enforce the state Constitution’s requirement that a governor must have been a California resident for the five years preceding the election.
The letter argues that Swalwell may not meet that requirement and calls on the state to allow legal proceedings to determine his eligibility before the election.
It notes that Swalwell listed the address of a Sacramento law firm on a candidate filing form and points to a 2022 deed of trust for a home in Washington, D.C., which describes that property as his “principal residence.”
The letter also raises questions about a Livermore address listed on Swalwell’s voter registration. Property records show the home is owned by another family, and public databases do not indicate Swalwell resides there.
—Details about the Livermore home were first reported last month by East Bay Insiders. Swalwell’s campaign said he has a lease at the property and pays rent monthly, but did not provide documentation supporting the claim.
In addition, three attempts to contact the homeowners at the residence went unanswered.
The California Constitution requires the governor to be a U.S. citizen and a resident of the state for the five years immediately preceding the election. However, the secretary of state’s office has previously taken the position that the five-year residency requirement may be unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution.
Steyer’s campaign argued that leaving the question unresolved could allow political opponents — including President Trump — to challenge the legitimacy of a Swalwell governorship if residency requirements were later found not to be met.
“If Swalwell were elected, it could throw the state government into a constitutional crisis,” the letter states, urging Weber to enforce the constitutional provision and allow courts to settle the issue.
Swalwell’s campaign dismissed the effort, comparing Steyer’s challenge to similar residency attacks often made by conservative critics.
Swalwell later released statements of support from several Democratic members of Congress opposing Steyer’s letter, though none addressed the question of where Swalwell resides in California.
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