History of Eric Swalwell in Timeline
Eric Swalwell is an American lawyer and politician currently serving as the U.S. representative for California's 14th congressional district since 2023, after representing the 15th district from 2013 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, his district encompasses eastern Alameda County and part of central Contra Costa County. He is known for his work in Congress.
1945: George P. Miller held the seat
Starting in 1945, George P. Miller held the seat.
1972: Pete Stark unseated Miller
In 1972, Pete Stark won the seat after unseating Miller in the Democratic primary.
1973: George P. Miller held the seat
Ending in 1973, George P. Miller held the seat.
November 16, 1980: Eric Swalwell Born
On November 16, 1980, Eric Michael Swalwell was born. He is an American lawyer and politician.
1999: Attended Campbell University
In 1999, Eric Swalwell attended Campbell University on a soccer scholarship.
1999: Graduated from Dublin High School
In 1999, Eric Swalwell graduated from Dublin High School.
2001: Ended soccer scholarship
In 2001, Eric Swalwell broke both his thumbs, ending his soccer scholarship.
2001: Interned for Ellen Tauscher
In 2001, Eric Swalwell worked as an unpaid intern for U.S. representative Ellen Tauscher.
2002: Interned for Ellen Tauscher
In 2002, Eric Swalwell worked as an unpaid intern for U.S. representative Ellen Tauscher.
2003: Received Bachelor of Arts
In 2003, Eric Swalwell received a Bachelor of Arts in government and politics from the University of Maryland, College Park.
2006: Received Juris Doctor
In 2006, Eric Swalwell received a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.
2006: Deputy District Attorney
In 2006, Eric Swalwell returned to California and worked as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County.
2008: Dublin Planning Commission
From 2008, Eric Swalwell served on the Dublin Planning Commission.
2010: Elected to the Dublin City Council
In 2010, Eric Swalwell was elected to the Dublin City Council.
September 2011: Filed to run for Congress
In September 2011, Eric Swalwell filed to run for Congress in California's 15th district.
2012: Cultivation of contacts with California politicians
Beginning in 2012, Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese spy, cultivated contacts with California politicians believed by the Chinese government to have promising futures.
2012: Campaign for Congress
During the 2012 election cycle, the Stark campaign accused Swalwell of being a Tea Party candidate and Stark refused to debate with Swalwell during the campaign.
2012: Swalwell's Policy Positions
In 2012, Eric Swalwell advocated for repealing the No Child Left Behind Act, increasing education funding, decreasing defense funding, creating renewable energy jobs with federal stimulus money, and raising the Social Security payroll tax cap.
2012: Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
In 2012, Eric Swalwell was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating Pete Stark.
March 2013: Swalwell opposed policy allowing knives on airplanes
In March 2013, Eric Swalwell led the writing of an open letter to the TSA administrator opposing a new policy that would allow passengers to bring knives onto airplanes.
June 18, 2013: Uploaded video of vote to Vine
On June 18, 2013, Eric Swalwell used his mobile phone to record a video of his vote against a bill and uploaded it to Vine.
December 12, 2013: Introduced Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act
On December 12, 2013, Eric Swalwell introduced the Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act into the House.
2013: Represents California's 15th congressional district
In 2013, Eric Swalwell started serving as the U.S. representative from California's 15th congressional district, having previously represented the 15th district from 2013 to 2023.
March 25, 2014: Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act signed into law
On March 25, 2014, President Barack Obama signed the Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act into law.
April 15, 2014: Charitable Donations Deadline
Between January 1 and April 15, 2014, Americans could deduct charitable donations for the relief of victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
2014: Fang participated in fundraising for Swalwell's congressional election bid
In 2014, Christine Fang participated in fundraising for Eric Swalwell's congressional election bid.
2014: Chairman of O'Malley's PAC
In 2014, Eric Swalwell served as chairman of Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's O' Say Can You See PAC's Young Professionals Leadership Circle.
January 3, 2015: Sworn into second term
On January 3, 2015, Eric Swalwell was sworn into his second term.
April 2015: Founded Future Forum
In April 2015, Eric Swalwell founded Future Forum, a group of young House Democrats focused on the concerns of millennials.
May 2015: Launched Sharing Economy Caucus
In May 2015, Eric Swalwell and Representative Darrell Issa launched the bipartisan Sharing Economy Caucus.
July 2015: Endorsed O'Malley for President
In July 2015, Eric Swalwell endorsed Martin O'Malley for president.
2015: Swalwell ended ties with Fang
In 2015, Eric Swalwell ended ties with Christine Fang after being briefed by U.S. intelligence on concerns about Chinese agents infiltrating Congress.
February 2016: Elevated to vice-chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee
In February 2016, Nancy Pelosi elevated Eric Swalwell to vice-chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.
April 2016: Dubbed Snapchat king of Congress
In April 2016, The Hill dubbed Eric Swalwell "the Snapchat king of Congress" for his use of social media.
June 2016: Broadcast gun-violence sit-in
In June 2016, Eric Swalwell used Facebook Live and Periscope to broadcast House Democrats' gun-violence sit-in.
October 2016: Marriage to Brittany Ann Watts
In October 2016, Eric Swalwell married Brittany Ann Watts, a sales director at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay.
December 2016: Introduced Protecting Our Democracy Act
In December 2016, Eric Swalwell and Representative Elijah Cummings introduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act.
December 2016: Named co-chair of House Democratic Steering Committee
In December 2016, Eric Swalwell was named the co-chair of House Democratic Steering Committee.
2016: O'Malley for President
In 2016, Eric Swalwell supported Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley in a potential presidential bid.
January 3, 2017: Sworn into third term
On January 3, 2017, Eric Swalwell was sworn into his third term.
January 2017: Reintroduced Protecting Our Democracy Act
In January 2017, Eric Swalwell and Representative Elijah Cummings reintroduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act for the 115th Congress.
2017: Birth of son
In 2017, Eric Swalwell and his wife Brittany Ann Watts had a son.
2017: Cosponsorship of Israel Anti-Boycott Act
In 2017, Eric Swalwell co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, a House bill designed to allow U.S. 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.
2017: Co-Chairs House Democratic Steering Committee
Since 2017, Swalwell has co-chaired the House Democratic Steering Committee.
2018: Birth of daughter
In 2018, Eric Swalwell and his wife Brittany Ann Watts had a daughter.
2018: Personal data seized by U.S. Department of Justice
In 2018, under the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Justice seized Eric Swalwell's personal data.
January 3, 2019: Sworn into fourth term
On January 3, 2019, Eric Swalwell was sworn into his fourth term.
April 8, 2019: Swalwell announces presidential candidacy on The Late Show
On April 8, 2019, Eric Swalwell announced his candidacy for president on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and released a campaign ad on social media.
April 14, 2019: Formal announcement at Dublin High School
On April 14, 2019, Eric Swalwell made a formal announcement of his presidential candidacy at Dublin High School.
July 8, 2019: Swalwell withdraws from presidential race
On July 8, 2019, Eric Swalwell withdrew from the presidential race, facing the risk of not qualifying for the second set of debates and with polling averages never rising above 1%.
July 2019: Drops out of presidential race and endorses Joe Biden
In July 2019, Eric Swalwell dropped out of the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and endorsed Joe Biden.
2019: Gun control as a signature issue
In 2019, Eric Swalwell made gun control a signature issue of his presidential campaign, proposing a ban with a mandatory buyback of all firearms deemed assault weapons and universal background checks.
December 2020: Swalwell named in Axios story about suspected Chinese spy Fang Fang
In December 2020, Eric Swalwell was named in an Axios story regarding Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese spy, who had cultivated contacts with California politicians since at least 2012.
December 2020: FBI official says Swalwell was cooperative
In December 2020, an unnamed FBI official told the San Francisco Chronicle that Eric Swalwell was fully cooperative and not suspected of any wrongdoing in relation to the investigation of suspected Chinese spy Christine Fang.
December 2020: Allegations of national security threat
In December 2020, following an Axios story, Eric Swalwell faced allegations of being a national security threat due to his association with Christine Fang, though the story mentioned she had sexual relations with two unidentified Midwestern mayors, but not with Swalwell. He received death and rape threats.
2020: Purchase of home in Washington, D.C.
In 2020, Eric Swalwell purchased a home for $1.2 million in Eckington, Washington, D.C.
2020: Presidential Candidate
In 2020, Eric Swalwell was a candidate in the Democratic Party presidential primaries.
2020: Won 2020 election
In 2020, Eric Swalwell won the election against Republican challenger Alison Hayden.
March 5, 2021: Filed civil lawsuit
On March 5, 2021, Eric Swalwell filed a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Representative Mo Brooks, and Rudy Giuliani.
March 2021: Motion to remove Swalwell from House Intelligence Committee
In March 2021, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy moved to remove Eric Swalwell from his seat on the House Intelligence Committee, but the motion was tabled.
April 2021: House Ethics Committee opens investigation into Swalwell
In April 2021, the House Ethics Committee initiated an investigation into Eric Swalwell.
October 2021: Voted in line with Joe Biden
As of October 2021, Eric Swalwell had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.
2021: Birth of third child
In 2021, Eric Swalwell and his wife Brittany Ann Watts had their third child.
March 2022: Proposed measures in response to Russian invasion of Ukraine
In March 2022, Eric Swalwell proposed measures on CNN in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including closing the Russian embassy in the US and expelling all Russian students. He defended his stance on Twitter after receiving backlash.
2022: Vote against Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act
In 2022, Eric Swalwell was one of 16 Democrats who voted against the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package aimed at curbing anti-competitive behavior by corporations.
2022: Redistricted to CA-14
In early 2022, Eric Swalwell was redistricted to CA-14.
January 2023: Expelled from House Intelligence Committee
In January 2023, Speaker Kevin McCarthy expelled Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee.
January 2023: McCarthy removes Swalwell from the Intelligence committee
In January 2023, after becoming Speaker, Kevin McCarthy removed Eric Swalwell from the Intelligence committee, stating concerns based on an FBI briefing. Swalwell's membership had expired due to term limits.
May 2023: House Ethics Committee closes investigation
In May 2023, the House Ethics Committee closed its investigation into Eric Swalwell without further action, cautioning members about potential foreign influence attempts.
2023: Represents California's 14th congressional district
In 2023, Eric Swalwell started serving as the U.S. representative from California's 14th congressional district, having previously represented the 15th district from 2013 to 2023.
2023: Sworn into his sixth term
On January 3rd, 2023, Eric Swalwell was sworn into his sixth term.
January 3, 2025: Sworn into seventh term
On January 3, 2025, Eric Swalwell was sworn into his seventh term.
November 20, 2025: Swalwell announces gubernatorial campaign on Jimmy Kimmel Live
On November 20, 2025, Eric Swalwell announced his gubernatorial campaign during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live".
2025: Swalwell advocated for legislation to tie ICE's funding to a ban on agents wearing masks
In 2025, Eric Swalwell advocated for legislation that would tie ICE's funding to a ban on agents wearing masks in the course of their duties, in response to masked ICE agents' enforcement actions.
2026: Candidate for governor of California
In 2026, Eric Swalwell plans to run for governor of California.
Mentioned in this timeline
Donald John Trump is an American politician media personality and...
Nancy Pelosi is a prominent American politician notably serving as...
Ukraine is a large country in Eastern Europe second in...
Facebook is a social media and networking service created in...
Barack Obama the th U S President - was the...
California is a U S state on the Pacific Coast...
Trending
6 months ago Aljamain Sterling questions Sean O'Malley's stardom, personality deemed 'a little dry'.
Brent Pry is an American football coach who recently served as the head coach at Virginia Tech from until his...
5 months ago Sarah Sherman's SNL Checks Mistakenly Sent to Gilda Radner's Estate: A Sobbing Revelation
30 days ago Della Maddalena Praised Makhachev, Pimblett Favors Him; Bisping Sees Warm-Up Fight
5 months ago Sundance Film Festival's Final Utah Edition: Egyptian Theatre Excluded, Gratitude Celebrated.
3 days ago Mario and Courtney Lopez celebrate 13 years of marriage with loving tributes.
Popular
Aftyn Alyssa Behn is an American politician currently serving as...
Matt and Ross Duffer known as the Duffer Brothers are...
Candace Owens is an American conservative political commentator and author...
XXXTentacion born Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy was a controversial yet...
Ilhan Omar is an American politician currently serving as the...
Lane Kiffin is an American football coach currently serving as...