A new court filing in Sacramento is asking California officials to do what too many in Washington pretend they already do: follow the law. Filmmaker and conservative activist Joel Gilbert has filed a petition arguing Rep. Eric Swalwell cannot qualify for the California governor’s ballot because he hasn’t been a California resident for the five years required by the state constitution.
Gilbert’s petition points to public mortgage records showing Swalwell’s Washington, D.C., home was listed as the “principal residence,” and to a campaign Candidate Intention Statement that used an attorney’s Sacramento office instead of a real home address. Those objective paperwork details aren’t partisan opinion — they are the kind of factual records voters rely on to judge a candidate’s eligibility.
Swalwell’s team predictably pushed back, saying he has maintained ties to the Bay Area, holds a California driver’s license and pays California taxes, and that the Sacramento address was used for security reasons because of death threats. Those explanations might placate Democrats in the media, but they don’t erase mortgage paperwork that names a D.C. property as the primary residence nor the plain language of California law.
This controversy arrives amid an even uglier swirl: a federal housing official referred Swalwell to the Justice Department over alleged mortgage irregularities, and Swalwell has sued that official and the agency, claiming political targeting. Whether you think the referral is politically motivated or justified, the fact remains that mortgage documents and public records are central to this dispute and must be treated with the seriousness any citizen’s ballot qualification deserves.
Here’s what conservatives — and any voter who believes in equal application of the law — should demand: no more special treatment for politicians who shuttle between D.C. mansions and claims of being “from” a state when it suits their ambitions. If a candidate’s principal residence is in Washington, D.C., the people of California have a right to a governor who actually lives among them, not a polished politician who commutes in for photo ops and fundraisers.
The practical impact is real: if the court or the Secretary of State accepts the petition, Swalwell could be removed from the ballot and the crowded governor’s race would shift dramatically, opening space for candidates who actually live and work in California. Voters deserve clarity now, not platitudes; elections aren’t supposed to be a game of legal whack-a-mole where paperwork is massaged until inconvenient rules disappear.
Patriots who love California and the rule of law should cheer any effort to hold elites to the same standards as everyone else. The Secretary of State and the courts must examine the records, follow the constitution, and ensure that only eligible candidates appear on the ballot — because hardworking Americans are tired of politicians who think they can have it both ways.
