Eric Swalwell is not where he’s supposed to be

He lives here, he lives here not.

Instead of plucking daisy petals, let’s reason it out. 

Does Rep. Eric Swalwell live with his wife and kids in a posh spread near the Capitol they bought for $1.2 million in 2020? 

Or does the wannabe gov reside in one rented room in Livermore, Calif. — not far from swanky hotels he frequents — in the district he represents?

With fraud a hot issue in California, Swalwell’s approach seems to fit right in.

But should he be governor?

With fraud a hot issue in California, Swalwell’s approach seems to fit right in. AP

(The SEIU, which just endorsed Swalwell, seems to think so –– which means he supports taxpayer largesse for public employee unions.)

This much is clear: First, Swalwell violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the five-year California residency requirement for those who hold the state’s top job.

And second: Given a record of poor judgment, hypocrisy, insincerity and general folly, voters should wonder what exactly he’d bring to Sacramento.

Is he fit for the job?

The residency dust-up is yet another potentially disqualifying episode for Swalwell.

Prior examples include the rep’s liaison with Chinese spy Fang Fang; his shilling for Dem tale tales about Trump-Russia collusion; his vow to prosecute and harass ICE agents; and his flatulence on live TV.

And then there’s the hypocrisy.

In 2012, Swalwell defeated a 20-term(!) Democratic incumbent to win his current House seat in a campaign centered in part on (wait for it) claims that his opponent lived outside of his district.

“I live in the district,” a smug Swalwell said in a 2012 video. “I will make sure that I commute to Washington and always stay connected to my district.”

If by “commute to” he meant buy a home there, move his family there, and then stay in hotels when “home” in his district, then yes, promise kept.

And finally, there’s Swalwell’s feeble defense of his Livermore bedroom.

Publicizing that home’s address, he said, endangers his family — as if his wife and three kids live in the single room he says he’s rented since 2017.

(Neighbors say they’ve never seen him there, BTW.)

Besides, the rep’s not been discreet about his six-bedroom, four-level home near the Capitol; it’s been showcased in Variety magazine and the congressman’s own social media posts.

Meanwhile, the latest polling (conducted at least in part before the residency flap) shows Swalwell leading other Dems in the race for governor.

This is what happens when a state’s voters accept sad-sack leadership as a matter of course:

Any Tom, Dick or Eric can run for governor, and, with name ID for all the wrong reasons, land near the top of the polls in a field of Dems that inspires next to no one.

“Where’s Swal-do?” asks an on-the-nose California Post headline. 

He lives here not.

If all this sounds like a farce, that’s because it is.