Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, one of the leading candidates for California governor, came under increasing pressure Friday to drop out of the…

California Rep. Eric Swalwell is vowing to aggressively push back on federal immigration officers if elected governor. The Democrat says he would use the office to make federal agents ineligible for state jobs and take away their driver's licenses if they refuse to unmask while on duties. He hasn't specified how he'd advance those policies. Swalwell is among a crowded field jostling to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom who terms out after this year. Swalwell says he has a proven record of fighting Trump. Mail-in ballots begin going out next month ahead of the June 2 primary.

Democrats have run California for years. But in a nationally critical election, the party is being confronted by the limits of its own power: the race for governor is out of control. Barely a month before the start of mail-in voting, Democratic leaders are openly dreading the possible loss of a statewide election for the first time in two decades. No star has emerged from a muddled field of candidates for the state's premier job. Meanwhile the race has degenerated into finger-pointing over debate eligibility, identity politics and 2025 ballot counting — issues distant from voters struggling with soaring gas and food costs.

Does California's race for governor finally have a leader? The contest to succeed outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is considered wide open. But a string of recent attacks on Rep. Eric Swalwell suggest his rivals might be getting antsy about him gaining ground in advance of a June primary. To listen to his competitors, he has a no-show job in Congress and he might not live in California. Swalwell has disputed those claims while picking up key endorsements from U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and powerful labor groups. Mail-in voting begins in early May. A large Democratic field has raised the possibility of a surprise outcome.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat who served as a House manager in President Donald Trump's 2021 impeachment trial, has launched his bid for California governor. Swalwell highlighted his desire help Californians prosper as he announced his candidacy on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Thursday night. Swalwell said California "needs a fighter and a protector" to bring prices down and lift wages. He also touched on his clashes with Trump, saying he was ready "to bring this fight home." More than a half dozen Democrats and two Republicans are competing in an all-party June primary. The top two vote-getters advance to a November general election to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom.