‘No One Likes Tom Steyer!’ Fox’s Brian Kilmeade Suggests Republicans Might Pull Off Inside Straight in California

 

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade’s assessment of the California gubernatorial race was that Rep. Eric Swalwell’s (D-CA) scandal-plagued exit could result in a surprising benefit for Republicans — specifically one of his former Fox colleagues.

This month, Swalwell has faced a wave of accusations from women that he sent explicit messages, including unsolicited nude photos and videos, plus more serious allegations from a former staffer who says he sexually assaulted her while she was intoxicated. Swalwell has admitted to “mistakes in judgment” but denied he sexually assaulted anyone. Many of his staffers, at both his gubernatorial campaign and congressional office, resigned, and a large group of current and former staffers issued a statement supporting his accusers. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and House Ethics Committee have opened investigations into Swalwell.

Sunday evening, Swalwell announced he was suspending his campaign for California governor. By Monday evening, he had announced he was resigning his congressional seat as well amid growing bipartisan calls for his expulsion from the House.

The panel on Tuesday’s episode of Outnumbered discussed the latest developments in the California elections, and the fallout from Swalwell’s exit.

Kilmeade said he thought it was “so interesting” that California Gov. Gavin Newsom was “playing no role in his replacement — just sitting it out,” and now “you have two Republicans emerging in the top slot out of nowhere.”

Swalwell had entered the race “without any state experience at all,” never having served in the state legislature, Kilmeade said, arguing that the outgoing congressman “really has got no name, his name was made by being anti-Donald Trump” and for “dating a Chinese spy.”

“That’s how people know Eric Swalwell,” Kilmeade continued. “And then all of a sudden, he becomes the frontrunner.”

Kilmeade questioned if the “whisper campaign” about Swalwell’s scandals was happening in Washington, “how did that not get to Nancy Pelosi who knows everything about everything, and according to reports, is a woman that should be kind of concerned about all this, and at the very least, might not be politically savvy enough to say, I can’t put my support around someone who [has] some problems possibly around [them].”

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and “every California power broker” had also endorsed Swalwell, Kilmeade pointed out. In the wake of the news breaking about Swalwell’s accusers, Pelosi, Schiff, and other prominent Democrats revoked their endorsements.

“And now he’s imploded,” Kilmeade said about Swalwell, and things “are going to get much worse.”

Left in the race, he continued, was Tom Steyer, but “no one likes Tom Steyer. He’s a billionaire who likes green energy. He got no traction for president.”

“I think this is an opportunity to be an inside red straight for Steve Hilton,” Kilmeade predicted about his former colleague, who is running for California governor as a Republican.

“Mmm, we hope so!” replied Emily Compagno.

Watch the clip above via Fox News.

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Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.