Representative Eric Swalwell, the Democratic frontrunner in the fiercely contested race to be governor of California, has suspended his campaign amid a series of sexual assault and misconduct allegations by a former staff member and at least three other women.
The woman who worked for Swalwell said the California congressman had sexually assaulted her twice when she was too inebriated to consent, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, which was published on Friday.
Three other women also accused Swalwell of misconduct, according to CNN. The women said Swalwell had sent them unsolicited nude photographs or explicit messages.
In a statement posted onlineSwalwell, 45, said he would “fight the serious, false allegations that have been made – but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s”.
“To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” he said.
Since the allegations were first made public on Friday, Swalwell, has forcefully denied the claims, asserting in a video statement that they were “flat false” and part of a concerted effort to derail his gubernatorial campaign.
Rumors about his alleged misconduct had swirled online for weeks before the Chronicle and CNN published their articles on Friday, shaking up a deeply unsettled race. Almost immediately, prominent supporters and rivals began to call on him to withdraw from the race, including the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, and the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a colossal figure in California politics whom Swalwell counted as a political ally. There followed an exodus of campaign staff and mounting calls from colleagues and former staffers to resign from Congress.
His campaign co-chairs, Congressmen Jimmy Gomez and Adam Gray stepped down, while California senator Adam Schiff, one of the most prominent Congressional Democrats to support Swalwell’s campaign for governor, rescinded his endorsement and called on him to exit the race, as did the senator Alex Padilla, who has remained neutral in the contest.
In a deeply personal rebuke, the Arizona senator Ruben Gallego withdrew his endorsement and expressed regret for having defended his friend against rumors of the allegations “prior to knowing all the information”.
Even as it appeared Swalwell’s campaign had all-but imploded, he did not immediately drop out, instead telling supporters and constituents on Friday that he would take the weekend to deliberate with family about his next steps. But the fallout seemed to worsen by the hour. On Saturday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said it would open a criminal investigation into a sexual assault allegation against Swalwell, alleged to have been committed in New York in 2024.
Then on Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security announced an investigation, alleging that Swalwell hired “a Brazilian national as a nanny without lawful work authorization”. The allegations of immigration law violation came to light after Joel Gilbert, a California film-maker who made a conspiratorial documentary about Barack Obama in 2012, filed a 68-page complaint with immigration officials in February.
Meanwhile, members of Congress from both parties said on Sunday that they could vote to expel Swalwell, as well as a Republican US representative, Tony Gonzales, also accused of sexual misconduct.
Swalwell, who is in his seventh term representing northern California, rose to national prominence as a pugnacious opponent of Donald Trump. He briefly ran for president in 2020 but struggled to gain traction and withdrew before any primary votes were cast. In 2021, Swalwell was chosen to serve as an impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment trial, which centered on Trump’s role in the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.
Swalwell was among the last candidates to enter the race for governor, declaring his candidacy during a November appearance on the ABC late-night show hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. In recent weeks he had begun to consolidate support and pull ahead in a muddled Democratic field that had yet to produce a clear frontrunner.
His sudden departure jolts the contest to replace governor Gavin Newsom – a race that has left California Democrats fretting over the prospect of two Republicans advancing to the general election in the nation’s largest blue state, a result of its quirky primary system, which rewards the top two vote-getters regardless of party.
Recent polls showed Swalwell edging ahead of his Democratic rivals, gaining on Republican Steve Hilton, a British-born political consultant, and the Republican Riverside county sheriff, Chad Bianco.
Other Democrats in the race include billionaire Tom Steyer, former California Congresswoman Katie Porter, former US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, San José Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and several others. Responding to Swalwell’s exit from the race, several of his rivals commended the women who came forward, and called for the Congressman to be held accountable.
“Eric Swalwell represented the worst of politics,” Mahan said.
Villaraigosa said suspending his campaign was “not sufficient.” “Eric Swalwell must resign his position in Congress and completely withdraw from the governor’s race immediately,” he said.
