Jimmy Kimmel Is Finally Funny After Eric Swalwell Takes to His Show to Announce His Run for CA Governor

Jimmy Kimmel returned to actual comedy on Thursday when Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14) made an appearance on his show to announce his run for California governor.

Pop the popcorn, because this already packed 2026 race has just gotten even more laughable.

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NEW: Eric Swawell announced his bid for California Governor on the Jimmy Kimmel show.

No wonder no one heard about it.
pic.twitter.com/cwhS1RDXQn
— Chad Prather (@WatchChad) November 21, 2025

Isn't that precious? He has half the looks of present Gov. Gavin Newsom and zero charm, yet he thinks he can rise above the fray on what, exactly? Saying you will protect Californians against fascist President Trump is neither original nor noteworthy, and every candidate in the race is promising to bring down costs. And California is the fourth largest country?! What a terrible error to make for your campaign launch on national television. Like the man barely maintaining the office, Swalwell has an inflated opinion of his failing state and himself. The legacy media is expressing doubts on this launch, seeing Swalwell's entry into the race as a reflection of the fractures in the Democrat Party.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, an outspoken Donald Trump antagonist, is running for California governor, adding one more Democratic hopeful to the jam-packed field.
The seven-term member of Congress, who represents the San Francisco Bay Area, said on his website he “is running for Governor with fresh ideas and tremendous heart” before appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday night.
“I’m running for Governor because prices are too high and people are scared,” he wrote.
A Swalwell candidacy was on nobody’s radar just a few months ago. His decision to enter the race late in the year — when other candidates have had as much as a year’s head start — is the latest sign of an unsettled Democratic field in the race to succeed Gavin Newsom, with no decisive frontrunner.

Swalwell might want to tread carefully, though, as he may get boiling potatoes aimed at his head by one of his opponents. You know who...

The time for patience is over.

When I’m Governor, there won’t be any more waiting to make the investments care workers deserve. I’ll get it done. pic.twitter.com/xhMxev6mYn
— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) November 21, 2025

Swalwell also fails in the intersectionality category that is so important to Democrats: He's a white, heterosexual male, and a boring one at that. Perhaps Swalwell plans to come out as non-binary somewhere between now and June 2026. Who knows?

Swalwell (and the rest, frankly) will also be outspent by billionaire and California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer, whose calling card seems to be gumming up the wheels of governance just because. Steyer has picked up the progressive Democrats' penchant for using swear words to show that he's really one of us <insert *eyeroll* emoji>, so consider this your language warning.

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But what really sets Swalwell apart from the overly crowded field is not only the terrible optics of his every move or the juvenile behavior, but that he cannot be taken seriously as a leader in any way, shape, or form. Farting on national television during an interview and riding shirtless on a camel in Qatar during the pandemic were the height of cringe. More recently, there were the sketchy videos of Swalwell bench pressing and attempting to troll Republicans during last summer's congressional recess. While faithfully cosplaying Trump opposition and criticizing the president's every single move may play well to the leftists in his district of Dublin, there's still that 40 percent of Californians who voted for and still support President Trump that even Katie Porter refused to acknowledge, to her peril. Swalwell's lack of leadership and obvious demerits might even give progressive Californians pause, while making Porter more attractive — if that were even possible.

As a sitting representative, Swalwell's record of attendance and voting leaves much to be desired for someone making $174,000 annually — that doesn't include those stock bonuses he managed to garner in his seven terms in the House of Representatives. However, it could also be a resume enhancer, since Gov. Hair Gel has been MIA from California for the lion's share of his two terms as governor.

I do worry that the added rigor of campaigning for statewide office might taint his otherwise impeccable House attendance record. https://t.co/A8OfUO2hkU pic.twitter.com/Qejod18S7l
— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) November 21, 2025

My colleague Ward Clark also documents Swalwell's shortcomings and the latest investigation into the congressman. Swalwell may be suffering from the disease that could be the political demise of New York AG Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA): mortgage fraud.

What can we say about a guy like Democrat Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-14) that hasn't already been said? As my grandfather would have said, if good sense were sweet corn, Congressman Swalwell would be a few kernels short on the cob. His career has been underwhelming. He has the oratory skills of a grunion and the personal appeal of hay fever. And now, just to add on to all the woes he already suffers from by being him, he's under investigation by the Department of Justice for mortgage fraud.

Apparently, this is another cottage industry among Democrats, but with California's affordability crisis and housing shortages, it's not a good look for a sitting congressman who claims he'll fight for the little man... or woman, non-binary, transgender, and two-spirited furry people. California for All, after all.

You Won't Believe What Swalwell Wants Done to Trump Ballroom - Dems Are Truly Lost

But Swalwell's biggest electoral landmine, which his Democrat and Republican opponents won't fail to use, is his affair with a Chinese spy named Christine Fang while Swalwell sat on the House Intelligence Committee.

"San Fran Nan" — Rep. Nancy Pelosi (CA-11) — ran interference for him back in 2020, but Pelosi is on her way out the door. With the Democrat Socialists taking over the party, Pelosi won't be running for office again, and it is doubtful she'll give him any more cover. That was five years ago, but even Hoover Institution fellow and author Victor Davis Hanson, who had encounters with Christine Fang, pointed out the nuclear-grade stupidity of Swalwell's actions that still resonate. So on this matter, this wannabe governor is at his most vulnerable.

WATCH:

pic.twitter.com/F12dNUoCrA

💥Victor Davis Hanson *EVISCERATES* Eric Swalwell over Fang Fang allegations💥

"You would have to be a stupid, narcissistic IDIOT to fall for that! I'm serious!"

"And he fell for that! And he got involved with her when he was on the House Intelligence…
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) November 16, 2025

It's a crowded Democrat field for governor, and with the state's jungle primaries, Swalwell's chances of rising even to 20 percent of the vote are negligible. But the sideshow that ensues between now and June will be hilarious to watch.

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