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A newly resurfaced video clip shows the irony of Rep. Eric Swalwell’s sticky predicament, as the Democratic frontrunner in the California governor’s race is facing a lawsuit and calls to be disqualified from June’s election as questions have been raised on whether he truly lives in the state.

The 2012 video shows Swalwell — an Alameda County prosecutor at the time — criticizing the record of 20-term incumbent Pete Stark for always being in Washington D.C. and rarely spending time in his district.

“I live in the district,” Swalwell says in the resurfaced clip, which features a stand-in for Stark during a mock interview. “I will make sure that I commute to Washington and always stay connected with my district.”

Swalwell adds, “That means driving the roads of my district, shopping the businesses of my district, and the basic requirement, sleeping under a roof in the district.”


  “I live in the district,” Swalwell is heard saying in a newly resurfaced clip from 2012. YouTube / SwalwellforCongress “I live in the district,” Swalwell is heard saying in a newly resurfaced clip from 2012. YouTube / SwalwellforCongress

But reporting by The Post shows Swalwell appears to have rarely stayed at the home he allegedly rents while racking up thousands of dollars on luxury hotels in and around his district.

Five neighbors failed to identify Swalwell on Wednesday when The Post showed them a picture of the congressman and identified him by name, despite his claims to have lived in a Livermore house for the nearly nine years.

The Post also found old tweets Swalwell sent out during his 2012 campaign criticizing Stark for the very things he’s now being accused of doing.

“There are 2,850 reasons to replace #CA15 40-year Rep. Pete Stark. 1 for every mile he lives outside the district at his home in MD. #ItsTime

Swalwell’s family lives full time in Washington, D.C., but he also took aim at Stark for taking his kids to school in Maryland.

“Caught! Rep. Pete Stark, who is required to live in CA, seen yesterday taking his minor kids to school…in Maryland,” Swalwell wrote.

On Halloween of that year, Swalwell joked that Stark should dress up as a ghost because no one had seen him in the district, a rich crack for someone who has been phantom on his own street.

“Happy Halloween! Some campaign costume ideas: The ghost of Pete Stark (we never see him), Mandy the Clown, or the Rookie. Any others?”

Swalwell is under fire for his residency claims after a right-wing filmmaker filed a lawsuit, and progressive billionaire Tom Steyer called on the California Secretary of State’s office to investigate.

Steyer’s petition, first published by Politico last week, argues that Swalwell “appears to live in California on paper only, making him unlikely to meet the basic residency requirements to run for Governor.” 


  “That means driving the roads of my district, shopping the businesses of my district, and the basic requirement, sleeping under a roof in the district,” Swalwell says in the clip. CA Post “That means driving the roads of my district, shopping the businesses of my district, and the basic requirement, sleeping under a roof in the district,” Swalwell says in the clip. CA Post

The California Constitution includes a five-year residency requirement for gubernatorial candidates, though for years, the Secretary of State’s office has considered the requirement unconstitutional and unenforceable.

Swalwell, a former prosecutor who maintains a license with the State Bar, filed a sworn affidavit under penalty of perjury claiming that he has been a California resident since 2006 and lived in Livermore since 2017.


  The Democratic frontrunner faces flak for his residency claims after progressive billionaire Tom Steyer called on the California Secretary of State’s office to investigate. AP The Democratic frontrunner faces flak for his residency claims after progressive billionaire Tom Steyer called on the California Secretary of State’s office to investigate. AP

He claims he’s lived since 2017 with another family in a 1,350-square-foot Livermore home owned by the sister-in-law of his political mentor, Tim Sbranti.

“I’ve never seen him,” said Gita Prusty, who told The Post she’s lived on the same cul-de-sac as Swalwell’s home for five years.

Swalwell’s campaign declined to answer The Post’s questions about the terms of his lease and why none of his neighbors knew a congressman and leading candidate for California governor had been living on their street for nearly nine years.

“There’s red flags all over the place — that his neighbors don’t know he’s there suggests that he’s not actually there,” said Lee Fink, an Orange County attorney.

Fink worked in the Obama administration and now serves as a delegate for the California Democratic Party. He told The Post on Thursday that Swalwell’s residency issues have become “a big concern for us Democrats.”

Only the top two finalists in the June primary will advance to the November runoff, and Democratic Party officials are worried that Swalwell’s candidacy could be tainted by his shady housing dealings.

Michelle Jeung, a campaign consultant for the gubernatorial campaign of former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, told The Post that anxiety over Swalwell is ripping through the Democratic Party, as Republican candidate Steve Hilton is polling strong.

“We keep hearing concerns from Democrats that if Swalwell and Hilton make the top two and the federal [Department of Justice] determines Eric Swalwell is a D.C. resident, then Swalwell’s disqualification would result in a Republican winning the Governor’s race,” Jeong said.

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