Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who has been a leading critic of the Trump administration, announced on Thursday that he will run for governor of California in the 2026 election.

He made the announcement on his official campaign website , which went live Thursday night ahead of a scheduled appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Swalwell got a standing ovation from the audience when he then announced his run on Kimmel's show.

"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.

Swalwell, 45, joins an already crowded field of high-profile candidates . Gov. Gavin Newsom cannot run for reelection because he

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