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2020 Election

Thursday, July 11, 2019

One Dem Out, One InCalifornia Rep. Eric Swalwell, dogged by fundraising challenges and a failure to register in the polls, is ending his longshot bid for the presidency. Two weeks ago, Swalwell, 38, called on Democratic front-runner Joe Biden to "pass the torch" of party leadership to a new generation in the first Democratic presidential debates. But this Monday, Swalwell called a press conference at his Dublin campaign headquarters to announce that instead of continuing in the Democratic primary, he will instead seek a fifth term representing the strongly Democratic East Bay 15th district in Congress. "Being honest with ourselves, we had to look at how much money we were raising, where we were in the polls," Swalwell told supporters, arguing that he had "moved the needle on the debate stage with an issue I was very passionate about," referring to gun control measures. "So we've achieved that,'' he said. "But we have to be honest about our own candidacy's viability." Swalwell's decision to bow out comes as another Californian, billionaire activist Tom Steyer - who had earlier ruled out a run for the White House - prepared to announce his entry into the race.