Eric Swalwell's Radical Past: From Provocative Poetry to Governor's Bid

Eric Swalwell, the current U.S. Representative from California, has long positioned himself as a serious contender for the governor's seat. But a trove of old writings, unearthed by conservative filmmaker Joel Gilbert, reveals a starkly different picture of the man who now campaigns as a law-and-order advocate. These documents, spanning from his time at Campbell University in the early 2000s, paint a portrait of a young radical with a penchant for provocative poetry, a disdain for both major political parties, and a willingness to engage with figures like Mumia Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther serving a life sentence for the 1981 murder of a Philadelphia police officer.

The most eyebrow-raising piece is a 2001 poem titled *Hungover From Burgundy*, which graphically describes a sexual encounter between two lovers in a hotel room. The verses, written in a creative writing class, include lines such as: *'While I screamed / She bent her lips to mine / Kissing till veins imploded and exploded / Till blood rolled down our chins / For bounded mouths cannot speak of parting.'* The poem, submitted to the university's literary magazine *The Lyricist*, has been seized upon by critics as evidence of Swalwell's alleged eroticization of violence and his early alignment with countercultural themes.

Swalwell's college writings also reveal a sharp critique of both Republicans and Democrats. In a March 2000 op-ed for *The Campbell Times*, he sneered at the two major parties, declaring: *'I'm not a Republican, nor am I a Democrat, is there really a difference besides an elephant and a donkey?'* He even claimed allegiance to a fictional party called the *'Lost Cause'* and admitted he had not voted in presidential elections. This stance contrasts sharply with his current political persona, where he frequently invokes his father's status as a former Iowa police chief to bolster his credentials as a law enforcement supporter.

Gilbert, the filmmaker behind the revelations, has made it clear his goal is to derail Swalwell's gubernatorial bid. He has petitioned a Sacramento court to disqualify the congressman, arguing that Swalwell does not meet California's residency requirements for running for governor. The claim hinges on a clause in the state constitution requiring candidates to have lived in California for five years prior to the election. Swalwell, however, has dismissed the lawsuit as *'nonsense,'* citing death threats from MAGA supporters as a reason for keeping his living arrangements private.

Another controversy shadowing Swalwell is his past entanglement with Christine Fang, a Chinese national who allegedly worked as a honeytrap spy. Fang, who came to the U.S. as a college student, was reportedly involved in Swalwell's 2014 re-election campaign before vanishing in 2015. The scandal, which broke in 2020, led to his removal from the House Intelligence Committee, though a two-year investigation by the House Ethics Committee found no wrongdoing. Critics, including Gilbert, have pointed to this as further evidence of Swalwell's questionable judgment.

Swalwell's college years also include a bizarre Cancun escapade, where he and friends posed as MTV employees using forged credentials and video equipment to gain free entry to clubs. In a column for *The Campbell Times*, he detailed the prank, writing: *'We were admitted free into every club as well as granted unlimited food and drinks (non-alcoholic of course).'* He described the experience as a *'classic example of a prank getting carried away,'* though the column has since been used to question his integrity and sense of responsibility.

The contrast between Swalwell's youthful radicalism and his current political persona is striking. Today, he campaigns on law enforcement support, wildfire prevention, and disaster response, often citing his father's career as a police chief. Yet his past writings and actions suggest a man who once embraced anti-establishment rhetoric, questioned the justice system, and engaged in pranks that bordered on deceit. As he vies for the governor's seat, the question remains: can a man who once glorified cop killers and bragged about rough sex be trusted with the reins of California's government?

Swalwell's campaign faces a crowded field, including Congresswoman Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and conservative commentator Steve Hilton. With his past under scrutiny and a political climate marked by deep divisions, the former congressman's path to the governor's mansion is anything but certain. As Gilbert argues, *'The warning signs are all there: Eric Swalwell would be an absolute disaster as California Governor.'* Whether voters agree remains to be seen.