California Rep. Eric Swalwell, one of the last holdouts in the already sprawling 2020 Democratic presidential field, has said he is a fortnightfrom announcing a bid.
“Don’t tell anybody, but I’m announcing in two weeks,” Swalwell was overheard saying at a fundraiser on Friday, according to Politico.
Swalwell held a dinner fundraiser at John’s Grill in San Francisco where about 80 big donors attended.
Earlier in the day, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., held a lunch fundraiser at the same spot and hosted about 50 donors for a meet-and-greet. The presidential hopeful also took a selfie with one of the kitchen staff on the way out the door. Swalwell similarly snapped a photo with kitchen staff after his event.
John’s Grill emerged as a campaign hot spot and is senator and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris’ home turf. Swalwell's House district lies across the San Francisco Bay, anchored in part by northern precincts of Silicon Valley.
If Swalwell does follow through and join the 2020 race, he will face a crowded field that features several governors and senators, current and former. He has been teasing a bid by appearing at events, like "Politics and Eggs” in New Hampshire, and visiting Iowa, the first caucus state.
Swalwell, a former local prosecutor, was first elected to Congress in 2012. A member of the House Intelligence Committee, he's been a leading critic of President Trump's relations with Russia, and a virulent critic of the president on cable television.