Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) tells voters he will lower high energy costs if he becomes governor, but he has reportedly raked in mountains of cash from the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E).
The candidate, who has vowed to “stop massive utility price hikes,” took in more than $113,000 from PG&E employees via “his congressional campaign and PAC,” the New York Post reported Friday. The outlet also said PG&E is the state’s biggest provider.
According to the Post, the utility company has raised rates over 100 percent in ten years and also has felony convictions.
In his social media advertisements, Swalwell told voters there must be “accountability and requirements” for utility companies.
Indeed, his campaign website says, “He will stop massive utility price hikes by ending monopoly markups and refinancing expensive debt to directly lower your monthly rates.”
However, “PG&E donations to Swalwell — from the PG&E Corporation Employees Energy PAC, representing employees of the utility — date back to 2014 and the most recent recorded donation came last year,” the Post report continued, noting the Democrat “continued taking money from the PAC even after the firm’s equipment sparked the catastrophic Camp Fire in 2018 that killed 85 people and wiped out Paradise, Calif.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has also taken money from PG&E. Breitbart News reported in 2025 that several utilities in the state are cozy with Democrats there.
As for Swalwell, his past dealings with Chinese communists could threaten his run for governor, the outlet reported in January.
In addition, a recent poll showed Republicans leading in California’s primary race, ABC 10 reported Wednesday.
“Businessman Steve Hilton and former Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco have both seen support grow, according to the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies’ March poll. Hilton received 17% of the vote, and Bianco 16%,” the outlet said, adding, “The number of democratic candidates continues to split the vote. Eric Swalwell and Katie Porter both had 13%, and Tom Steyer received 10%, with five other candidates polling at 5% or less.”
In a statement to the Post regarding skyrocketing utility costs, Hilton said, “Democrats have given us the highest electric bills in the country after Hawaii; they’ve nearly doubled in the last ten years. How can we possibly trust a Democrat to do anything about it, especially one who is a PG&E puppet just like Gavin Newsom?”
