California Gov hopeful Eric Swalwell neglects job in House to mingle with celebs

Rep. Eric Swalwell wants to be the next governor of California — but the Democratic congressman is skipping out on the job he already has to rub elbows with the rich and famous.

Swalwell, who is facing a federal criminal referral for alleged mortgage and tax fraud, has missed the most floor votes of any active member of the House of Representatives, according to an analysis by The Post.

Many of the absences also appeared to involve hanging out with celebrities.

Swalwell, 45, has missed 95 votes, not including truancy from committee hearings, out of a total of 342 House roll call votes this year.

It is more than double the absences of octogenarian Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who began the year recovering from hip replacement surgery and announced plans to retire in November.

The former prosecutor who represents parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties has even missed more votes than Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who died in March.

While absences are often tied to health or family concerns, Swalwell appears to have missed votes to mingle with celebrities. 

On Nov. 20, the lefty pol — who has been an outspoken critic of President Trump on issues ranging from immigration enforcement and censorship to the Epstein files — announced his bid to try and succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

The same day he appeared on the late-night show, Swalwell missed two House floor votes, according to congressional records.

The appearance also came after Swalwell frequently sported a hat with the show’s logo in support of the comedian, who had recently been yanked off the air temporarily over inflammatory comments he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

In fact, Swalwell has failed to cast a single roll call vote since a missed vote on Nov. 18.

The Dem congressman also missed two days of votes in February, according to records — as photos on social media showed him attending the Los Angeles premiere of HBO’s “White Lotus.”

“The question is, does he just not care about the job, or has he had it in his mind that he’s going to run for governor for a while and he’s getting his name out there across the state,” said David Latterman, a political analyst based in San Francisco.

“If I were part of his constituency, I’d be pretty ticked off.”

Elizabeth Ashford, a Democratic political consultant, said that Swalwell’s missed votes could be a “liability” for his campaign for governor.

“This definitely feels like a forced error,” Ashford said.

“The bar is pretty low with a dead person, so it feels like you should be able to show why you weren’t there.”

Swalwell and his campaign denied The Post’s requests for comment.

The celeb-obsessed pol, meanwhile, has received generous donations from Hollywood A-listers, including $15,000 from Sean Penn and $10,000 from Robert De Niro, according to campaign records.

He also received $10,000 apiece from “Two and a Half Men” star Jon Cryer, D-list comedian Kathy Griffin, and Alex Baskin, executive producer of reality shows like “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and “Vanderpump Rules.”

In a report published on Monday, the Sacramento Bee noted that Swalwell posted a social media video of himself in October vowing to bring accountability to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency after videos circulated of masked officers swarming a woman in a Walmart parking lot.

But since he posted that video, Swalwell has been mostly MIA, and he reportedly missed a related hearing last week in which fellow Democrats criticized ICE’s approach to immigration enforcement.

Top 20 House Members by Missed Votes in 2025

1. Mikie Sherrill — Democrat — New Jersey — 171
2. Eric Swalwell — Democrat — California — 95
3. Brittany Pettersen — Democrat — Colorado — 91
4. Donald Norcross — Democrat — New Jersey — 87
5. Wesley Hunt — Republican — Texas — 77
6. Josh Gottheimer — Democrat — New Jersey — 74
7. Raúl Grijalva — Democrat — Arizona — 69
8. Frederica Wilson — Democrat — Florida — 58
9. Maria Elvira Salazar — Republican — Florida — 53
10. John Garamendi — Democrat — California — 50
11. Dina Titus — Democrat — Nevada — 50
12. Greg Casar — Democrat — Texas — 49
13. John Rutherford — Republican — Florida — 49
14. Elise Stefanik — Republican — New York — 46
15. Nancy Pelosi — Democrat — California — 46
16. Jerrold Nadler — Democrat — New York — 44
17. Michael McCaul — Republican — Texas — 43
18. Kevin Mullin — Democrat — California — 42
19. Gerry Connolly — Democrat — Virginia — 40
20. Mark Green — Republican — Tennessee — 39

Mikie Sherill, a former House representative from New Jersey, topped the list of absentees this year with a whopping 171 missed votes while she ran for governor.

Sherrill was criticized for missing votes during the campaign, but she won her race and will take office in January.

California voters will head to the polls to choose their next governor on Nov. 3, 2026.