Eric Swalwell Has Missed More House Votes Than a Congressman Who Died 9 Months Ago

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks to reporters after a campaign event on Proposition 50 in San Francisco, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has been largely absent from his job in Congress ahead of announcing his run for California governor, according to a new analysis.

Both The Sacramento Bee and the New York Post published reports this week noting Swalwell’s absences, which are the most of any active member of the House. According to data from GovTrack, most legislators miss about 3% of roll call votes, but Swalwell is sitting at 7.7% since joining Congress. Swalwell has missed 95 votes out of 342 roll calls in 2025. The lengthy government shutdown has meant Congress has convened far less than usual in the second half of the year.

The Post noted that Swalwell has managed to miss more roll call votes this year than late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who passed away in March. The outlet also noted Swalwell has been doing plenty of “mingling” with celebrities while missing his day job, including missing two House votes on the same day he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show on November 20.

Swalwell has not cast a vote since the day before his Kimmel appearance. It was during that interview that he announced his intention to run for governor of California.

The lawmaker has missed votes on the National Defense Authorization Act and a bill to nullify an executive order stripping federal workers of collective bargaining rights.

“I’ve been in these fights as a city council member up in Dublin, my hometown, as a prosecutor in Oakland, and taking on the most corrupt president ever in the U.S. Congress, but I’m ready to bring this fight home,” Swalwell told Kimmel about his gubernatorial run.

The seven-term congressman said his goal will be to bring prices down and “lift up wages” for Californians. He noted that the massive state has the fourth-largest economy, but “what does that mean if you can’t afford to live here?”

Swalwell has also found himself facing fraud accusations. Trump’s top housing official Bill Pulte referred Swalwell last month to the Justice Department for a federal criminal probe, alleging mortgage fraud and tax fraud. Pulte was behind other similar accusations against Democrats, which have so far gone nowhere.

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