Swalwell slammed for missing more votes in 2025 than Dem colleague who passed away
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A leading Democratic opponent of Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., in the race for California governor has launched a “wild” ad campaign using Swalwell’s own words against him.
Billionaire gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer, who also failed to run for president in 2020, used several videos Swalwell posted on social media during the 2025 government shutdown by the pool and at the gym to attack his failed votes in Washington, DC.
Swalwell’s videos, which were initially intended to attack Republicans and blame them for why he didn’t work during more than 40 days of shutdown, repeatedly say, “I should be working.”
“Eric Swalwell’s job is to vote in Congress,” the ad begins between videos of Swalwell in the pool and at the gym telling his supporters that he “should be working” right now. “In 2025, Eric Swalwell missed 95 votes. That’s more than Rep. Raul Grijalva missed. Rep. Grijalva died in March 2025.”
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Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) wears a protective mask as he speaks during a House Intelligence Committee hearing April 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images)
According to GovTrack.US, Swalwell missed 102 of 139 roll-call votes, or 73 percent, between September 19, 2025 and February 9, 2026. In late November, he announced his candidacy to replace Governor Gavin Newsom as California’s next governor. In Steyer’s ad, the billionaire’s campaign claims Swalwell has missed 68 percent of the vote since he declared his candidacy.
“He didn’t show up for work, and now he’s asking for a promotion,” the ad concluded, while continuing to show clips of Swalwell bench-pressing and explaining that he should be in a suit on Capitol Hill and not pumping iron.
Congressman Eric Swalwell pumps iron in a video he posted to social media in July 2025, criticizing Republicans for allegedly sending him home and preventing the California congressman from doing his job. (Eric Swalwell for governor)
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“Savage,” Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff posted on X.
“Steyer going negative on Swalwell so early is the latest evidence that the Democratic primaries this cycle are going to be nastier than they have been in a while,” Huffington Post editor Kevin Robillard posted on X.
“Brutal ad,” Washington Free Beacon reporter Jon Levine posted on X.
Swalwell began posting these videos last summer, complaining that Republicans had sent him home for political reasons.
“I should be working right now. I should be in Congress. I should be voting to cut your costs. But, instead, I’m in a swimming pool because the Republicans sent everyone home because they don’t want to release the Epstein files,” Swalwell said in a video in late July that he posted to his social media accounts from a sparkling waterfront pool. “We could work to lower your costs, ensure health care is affordable, and restore rights to everyone in our community. I should work now.”
“Swalwell has, however, kept his constituents informed about his workouts even though he’s not actually working,” Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley said on X last summer. “Turns out the shutdown wasn’t the problem since he’s outvoted by his deceased colleagues.”
According to Swalwell and other Democrats, at the time, Republicans sent all members of Congress home early to avoid voting on an Epstein transparency app that was later passed. However, Republicans said Democrats were trying to ram through measures already implemented by the executive branch at the time.
The pool video was part of a series of other “I should be working right now” videos of Swalwell’s at the time, including one he took while throwing out the first pitch for his hometown minor league baseball team and another of him bench pressing 135 pounds at the gym.
Congressman Eric Swalwell lounges in his pool in a video he posted to social media, criticizing Republicans for allegedly sending him home and preventing the California congressman from doing his job in July 2025. (Eric Swalwell for governor)
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Fox News Digital reached out to Swalwell and his representatives for comment on criticism of his lack of votes, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
