This is the first article of our “On the Stage” series, where the goal is to get to know each and every single candidate vying for the chance to take on President Donald J. Trump in the 2020 election as the Democratic nominee. As the first of the Democratic debates approach, we try to understand each of the candidates and their campaigns better.
Who is Eric Swalwell?
Eric Swalwell is a sitting four-term congressman from the 15th district of California. Before being elected to the House of Representatives, he served on the city council of Dublin, California, was a member of the Dublin Arts & Heritage and Planning Commissions, and also served as an assistant district attorney. Despite representing California in Congress, Swalwell was born in Iowa, and he hopes to catch some of that hometown magic in the upcoming primaries.
How is Eric Swalwell doing in the polls?
Though he has not yet had 65,000 individuals donate to his campaign, Eric Swalwell has qualified for the first set of Democratic debates by virtue of meeting the poll qualification which requires that candidates attain no less than 1 percent of responses in at least three national or statewide polls recognized by the Democratic party. For Swalwell, these were an April 4-9 Monmouth University survey among likely Democratic primary voters in Iowa, an April 10-18 University of New Hampshire poll in the Granite State, and a nationwide Reuters/Ipsos poll on April 17-23.
As of the moment, Swalwell is tied for 16th place among the Democratic primary candidates with a 0.3 percent rating along with Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, author Marianne Williamson, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, according to RealClearPolitics. He does not have significant numbers on any statewide polls that RCP has on record, though, namely candidate averages in Iowa, New Hampshire, California, Texas, South Carolina, and Massachusetts.
What are the key ideas of the Swalwell campaign?
On healthcare. Rep. Swalwell supports Medicare for All, although a system in which private insurance would not be completely eliminated, but also wherein a public option would be guaranteed to all who opt to avail of it. He supports expanding federal funding for research on critical diseases such as cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
On environment and climate change. The congressman advocates for a gradual yet urgent transition from a fossil fuel-dependent society to one that taps renewable energy. In the past, he has supported legislation to further regulate oil fracking, to ban offshore oil drilling in California, and to fund research and development into clean energy technologies and infrastructure.
On social issues. Eric Swalwell is pro-choice, and is in fact a member of the pro-choice caucus in the House of Representatives which supports expanding access to reproductive health. He supports repealing the Hyde Amendment which bans federal funding to go directly to financing abortions. He is also an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and has co-sponsored civil rights protections on the federal level for non-binary individuals.
On immigration. He is an vehement opponent of the immigration policies of the Trump administration, and has moved to block funds for the President’s alleged “Muslim ban” and for the proposed Southern border wall. He co-sponsored the DREAM Act of 2017 which would formalize legal protections for illegal aliens brought to the U.S. as children and thus are eligible for DACA.
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