Eric Swalwell (file photo)
A 38-year-old California congressman who was born in northwest Iowa has ended his presidential campaign and will seek re-election to the U.S. House instead.
Eric Swalwell formally launched his candidacy in April. He ended it with an announcement in Dublin, California, and now faces a Democratic primary opponent for the House seat he’s held the past six-and-a-half years.
Swalwell has been a frequent visitor on the Iowa campaign trail since 2017. He often talked about being born in Sac City and living in Algona, where his father was a policeman before the family moved to California.
Swalwell was among the 20 presidential candidates who met the fundraising and polling criteria to be invited to last months’ televised debates, but he struggled to raise money and gain attention in the crowded field.
Swalwell did not signal he’ll endorse any of the competitors who remain in the race, but Swalwell told reporters the party’s nominee must be able to take a punch and throw a punch at Trump on the debate stage — and unite the country.
As Swalwell exits, a California billionaire Tom Steyer is reportedly considering jumping into the race. Tom Steyer has spent millions on voter turn-out efforts since 2013. More recently, Steyer bought ads calling for President Trump’s impeachment. Steyer held a news conference in Des Moines in January to announce he was not running for president, but multiple media have been reporting he’s reconsidered.