(KRON) -- California gubernatorial candidate and Bay Area Congressman Eric Swalwell is pushing back against questions about his residency from a rival candidate. The questions arose after Ryan Hughes, general counsel for Tom Steyer, sent a letter to the California secretary of state claiming Swalwel l "appears to live in California on paper only." The letter, which was addressed to Sec. of State Shirley Weber and dated March 5, was obtained by Politico. In the letter, Hughes asks Weber to have her office "re-evaluate its legal position that the California Constitution's residency requirements to run for Governor are unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution." Swalwell, according to Hughes, would be "unlikely to meet the basic residency requirements to run for Governor." Nearly half of California teachers plan to quit in next 10 years, according to report "If elected, questions of legitimacy would hang over Swalwell, allowing the Trump Administration to sow doubt, exploit the ambiguity, and advance its perverse agendas," the letter continued. "The Trump Administration could question Swalwell's legitimacy as Governor, and, therefore, imperil California' receipt of federal funds, the state's ability to deploy the California National Guard, and act in emergencies." KRON4 reached out to the Steyer campaign for further comment and received the following response from a campaign spokesperson: "Our campaign submitted a letter to the Secretary of State seeking clarification about his eligibility to run for governor under California’s residency requirements. With so much at stake in this election and this administration making anti-democratic moves all across the country, we hope that the Congressman can resolve this issue in order to avoid Donald Trump or Republican extremists exploiting it down the line or creating confusion for voters later in the process." At issue is the fact that Swalwell (D-Dublin) owns a home in Washington D.C. and merely rents a room in a home in Livermore, where he is registered to vote. Swalwell's campaign has hit back at the allegations, calling them "baseless," and has issued a letter co-signed by 11 other California Congressional Democrats. "Like all members of the California congressional delegation, we work and live both in this great state and in Washington, DC, representing our constituents in California," Swalwell wrote. "Tom Steyer's insinuation that there is something wrong with that undermines us all." The letter goes on to slam Steyer as "pushing a bogus residency conspiracy that originate in MAGA circles." A representative for Swalwell's campaign slammed the letter from Steyer's campaign as "negligent and thoughtless." "Last Friday, Steyer's campaign released Rep. Eric Swalwell's personal address in Livermore. This self-indulgent political act was negligent and thoughtless," said Swalwell campaign spokesperson Micah Beasley in a statement to KRON4. "As the Congressman is taking on Donald Trump, Swalwell has had to implement extreme security measures to protect himself and his family. He received over 100 death threats last year alone, many of which were directed towards his family. When it comes to serious safety precautions, Steyer should do better.""Steyer is personally going after a public servant who has long rented in his East Bay Congressional district," Beasley added. "California’s renters don’t need to be shamed by an out-of-touch billionaire." Congressmembers maintaining dual residencies both in Washington and in the districts they represent is commonplace. Speaking to the Sacramento Bee, Swalwell's communications director Micah Beasley said Swalwell plans to move his family back to California full-time if he is elected governor. Swalwell and Steyer are among eight Democrats running to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom who will be termed out when the November election rolls around. One recent poll showed Swalwell and Steyer in a virtual dead heat with former Rep. Katie Porter and Republican candidates Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton. ...read more read less