Eric Swalwell suspends California governor campaign amid sex assault allegation

Democratic House Rep. Eric Swalwell suspended his campaign for California governor on Sunday night following sexual assault allegations that he continues to deny.

“I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s,” Swalwell said in a social media post.

Democrats quickly abandoned Swalwell, 44, after allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman twice, including when she worked for him. The allegations were first published Friday in the San Francisco Chronicle, and later by CNN.

The woman worked for Swalwell in 2019, when the first alleged assault occurred, and the 2024 assault allegedly occurred after a charity gala, the Chronicle reported. She said in both cases she was too intoxicated to consent to sex, and told the newspaper she did not go to police because she was afraid she would not be believed.

The paper didn’t name the woman, and The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify her account and identity.

The alleged 2024 incident occurred in New York, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Saturday that it was investigating. The DA’s office urged anyone with knowledge to contact its special victims division.

Though Swalwell denied the allegations in a video posted Friday, he has appeared to reference infidelity in multiple statements.

“To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” he wrote.

CNN spoke to other women who accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct. Ally Sammarco, a Democratic strategist and podcast host, accused the congressman of sending a nude picture. Here’s a look at the political implications of the stunning development:

Who is Eric Swalwell?

Swalwell was elected in 2012 to the U.S. House, representing a district east of San Francisco. Prior to that, he was a city council member in Dublin, Calif., after graduating from law school.

At just 38 years old, he launched a presidential run in April 2019 but shuttered it a few months later after failing to catch on with voters.

The short campaign raised his profile, and he has been one of the more vocal Democratic critics of President Donald Trump. He served as one of the House managers — essentially a prosecutorial role — when Trump was impeached in early 2021.

Swalwell was previously interviewed by the FBI, after it was learned that Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative, was reported to have come into contact with Swalwell’s election campaigns of 2012 and 2014.

Swalwell said he cut off contact with Fang after being alerted by federal investigators. He was not accused of wrongdoing and a House ethics committee investigation that was opened in 2021 closed two years later without any action.

Swalwell is married and has three children.

What it means for the California race

Swalwell’s abrupt exit from the race for California governor left his rivals scrambling to lock down his former supporters in a crowded contest in the most populous American state.

Swalwell had appeared to be building a lead on rivals, according to polls, in the race to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is not eligible for another term. He quickly lost the endorsements of unions for teachers and public service workers, along with several high-profile politicians, after the allegations emerged on Friday.

With seven established Democrats and two leading Republicans on a primary ballot with more than 50 candidates, the race remains fluid. The top two candidates in the June 2 primary —regardless of party — will contest the November election. Republicans are hoping for their best chance to occupy the governor’s office in 15 years, since Arnold Schwarzenegger left office.

“Nobody has really caught fire,” said Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta, who is not involved in the campaign. Swalwell’s supporters “will scatter out to other candidates.”

The Democratic candidates include former House representative Katie Porter, former health secretary Xavier Becerra, current San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Tom Steyer, the billionaire former hedge fund manager and environmentalist who ran for president in 2020.

The leading Republican candidates are London-born Steve Hilton, a former British political adviser who lives in the U.S. and hosted a Fox News show for six years, as well as Chad Bianco, a sheriff from Southern Calilfornia who is a 2020 presidential election denier.

What it means in the U.S. House

Several Democrats and Republicans called on Swalwell to resign over the weekend

“This is not a partisan issue,” Washington Democrat Pramila Jayapal said Sunday. “This cuts across party lines. And it is depravity of the way that women have been treated.”

Some representatives said they would support the rare step of expelling him should he refuse to step aside, and with the House returning on Tuesday, the issue could be dealt with quickly.

Expulsion votes in the House are rare and require a two-thirds majority, which was achieved in 2023 in the case of convicted fraudster George Santos. Trump commuted the prison sentence of his fellow Republican late last year.

Jayapal and several other Democrats said they would vote to expel Swalwell from the House, though they said that should also happen with Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, who admitted to an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide.

Republicans hold 217 seats in the House, to 214 Democrats and one Independent who caucuses with the Republicans. Clay Fuller, a Republican, will soon take office after winning last week to succeed Marjorie Taylor Greene, while there are two special elections due to be held for vacant seats.