California lieutenant governor ‘swatted’ after push to boot Trump from ballot

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis was the victim of a “swatting” call last weekend at her San Francisco home, authorities confirmed exclusively to POLITICO, following a series of elected officials being targeted with phony calls to police after they pushed to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot.

The incident at Kounalakis’ Pacific Heights condominium came days after California’s No. 2 official wrote to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber urging her to exclude Trump from California’s 2024 primary. Weber did not acquiesce to Kounalakis’ request, siding with Gov. Gavin Newsom who telegraphed to fellow Democrats not to get ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court and dismissed the moves as “political distraction.”

San Francisco Police responded to Kounalakis’ home about 11:20 a.m. on Dec. 30 after receiving reports of a possible shooting. The officers arrived on the scene and determined there was no merit to the call, public information officer Eve Laokwansathitaya said Thursday.

Kounalakis and her husband, Markos, were not at home at the time, said Aleksandra Reetz, the lieutenant governor’s deputy chief of staff. Their two college-aged sons were there when police arrived, Reetz confirmed to POLITICO.

Kounalakis, a candidate for governor in 2026, is the latest politician to have an armed response arrive at her doorstep since the Colorado Supreme Court on Dec. 19 ruled that Trump was ineligible to run for president due to his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Last Friday, state police went to the home of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows after she barred Trump from the ballot, sparking widespread condemnation from Republicans who note that he hasn’t been convicted of a crime. That incident remains under investigation, and Bellows and her staff continue to receive threatening communications, she told the Portland Press Herald.

A broad range of politicians and other public figures have been targeted by swatting calls for a variety of reasons that aren’t always tied to Trump. The pranks are designed to fool unsuspecting police into responding with force, sometimes with their arms drawn. Callers have reported fake incidents at the homes of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat, and Republican Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has claimed multiple incidents, criticizing the FBI while lauding local police for their response.

Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, also a Republican, said that his Naples home was targeted while he and his wife were out on Dec. 27 and called the incident a waste of law enforcement resources “in a sick attempt to terrorize my family.”