The Hill’s 2012 New Members Guide

Rep.-elect Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.-15)

DATE OF BIRTH: Nov. 16, 1980

BIRTHPLACE: Sac City, Iowa

RESIDENCE: Dublin, Calif.

OCCUPATION: Prosecutor  

EDUCATION: B.A. and J.D., University of Maryland

PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: Dublin City Council

FAMILY: Single

Eric Swalwell, 32, defeated 40-year incumbent and fellow Democratic Rep. Pete Stark in an upset victory in California’s 15th district.

 Swalwell enters Congress with two years experience on the city council in Dublin, Calif. He also served as a prosecutor of the Alameda County District Attorney’s office.

One of Swalwell’s signature issues during the campaign was his idea for a mobile Congress that would allow members to cast votes and hold hearings while working remotely in their districts.

The Democratic Party largely backed the veteran, but Swalwell’s long-shot bid was helped when Stark accused Swalwell of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. Stark quickly retracted that statement and apologized for it, but local news outlets reported it as one in a series of gaffes by Stark that eroded his support.