If one were to compile a list of President Donald Trump’s top critics and rivals in Congress, one would be hard-pressed not to include Democrat California Rep. Eric Swalwell near the top of that list.
Swalwell has gained a bit of attention by loudly and vehemently pushing the debunked Russian collusion narrative, and it appears he believes he can use that modicum of attention as a launching pad for a presidential bid in 2020.
Declaring candidacy in two weeks
That news was first reported by Politico in its “California Playbook” newsletter of campaign and political briefs. Swalwell was spotted speaking with donors at a restaurant in San Francisco that has become popular with campaigning politicians.
While addressing around 80 big-dollar donors in John’s Grill in the Bay Area city, Swalwell suggested to the crowd that he was on the verge of officially announcing his 2020 presidential campaign.
“Don’t tell anybody, but I’m announcing in two weeks,” the Trump-hating congressman was overheard saying.
Swalwell reportedly exited the venue through the kitchen and took selfies with the staff, just as Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, also a 2020 candidate, did just hours earlier in the same location.
Entering a crowded field
The Washington Examiner reported that Swalwell’s fundraiser in San Francisco was essentially held on the home turf of top 2020 contender and former San Francisco district attorney, California Sen. Kamala Harris, as Swalwell’s district is situated on the other side of the San Francisco Bay.
Should he actually join the presidential race, Swalwell would be one of a field of nearly two dozen candidates who range from small town mayors and state governors to senators and billionaire businessmen.
A potential campaign announcement from Swalwell is not entirely unexpected, either, as he has recently been making appearances at various events in early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire.
It is unclear at this time what, exactly, Swalwell’s platform and key issues would be, aside from visceral hate for President Trump, whom the congressman — a member of the House Intelligence Committee — has deemed a traitor to the country over his alleged ties to Russia.
Unfortunately for Swalwell, he has largely tied himself to the Russian collusion nonsense, and with that particular theory having now been debunked by the Mueller report, there’s no telling if he will let it drop and focus on some other anti-Trump narrative or continue to press the collusion delusion to the hilt.
Rep. Swalwell has no real chance to earn his party’s nomination, so it remains to be seen if this potential bid is just an attempt to test the waters for a future run, an effort to raise his own stature within the party, or a truly delusional run for the big prize of getting destroyed in the process of President Trump’s re-election.