Eric Swalwell ends campaign for California governor after sexual misconduct allegations
By Eric Bradner, CNN
(CNN) — Rep. Eric Swalwell said Sunday he would withdraw from the California governor’s race in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct that led to a nearly immediate campaign collapse, as staffers quit and prominent Democratic supporters urged him to drop out.
“I am suspending my campaign for Governor,” he posted on X. “To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.”
Swalwell was long considered a top contender in a wide-open field with several prominent Democrats and two Republicans ahead of the state’s June 2 nonpartisan primary. But on Friday, his campaign was roiled when CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle published reports in which women accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct.
Key allies, including campaign chair Rep. Jimmy Gomez and Sens. Ruben Gallego and Adam Schiff, pulled their support almost immediately, with new statements denouncing Swalwell arriving in rapid succession. An independent expenditure group backing him announced it would shut down.
A governor’s race that was already drawing national attention was thrown further into flux. Among the top Democrats left are billionaire Tom Steyer, former Rep. Katie Porter, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, and Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host endorsed by President Donald Trump, are the Republican contenders.
It’s unclear whether Swalwell will remain in the US House until his term expires in January. Multiple Democrats on Sunday called on Swalwell to leave Congress.
“We should not tolerate this behavior,” Virginia Rep. Eugene Vindman told CNN on Sunday. “Rep. Eric Swalwell needs to go.”
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington called on Swalwell to drop out of the California gubernatorial race, adding that she would vote to expel both him and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, who is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over sexual misconduct allegations.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who had urged Swalwell to end his candidacy for governor, declined Sunday before Swalwell’s withdrawal to say whether he should resign his congressional seat, as his party hopes to retake the majority in the House after this year’s midterm elections.
“We’ll reconvene in Washington early next week and we’ll have more to say,” Jeffries told reporters during a backyard rally in Richmond on Sunday.
Four women have accused Swalwell of misconduct
CNN spoke to four women who alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by Swalwell, ranging from inappropriate messages and pictures to unwanted kissing and touching — and in one case, rape.
A former staffer of Swalwell said the congressman raped her when she was heavily intoxicated and left her bruised and bleeding, an allegation Swalwell strongly denies.
One woman who connected online with Swalwell over her interest in Democratic politics says she ended up extremely drunk inside his hotel room after a night out with the congressman, with little memory of what occurred. Earlier in the night at a bar, he kissed her and touched her leg without her consent, she said.
Another woman, who described receiving unsolicited nude messages from Swalwell, was social media creator Ally Sammarco. She said she initially reached out to the congressman on Twitter to discuss politics. “I truly never thought he would respond — I had like 1,000 followers at the time,” she said. “And he actually responded.”
In a video posted late Friday, he called allegations of sexual assault against him “flat false.”
“I do not suggest to you in any way that I’m perfect or that I’m a saint. I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife, and to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position,” he said in the video. “I also apologize to you if in any way you have doubted your support for me, but I think you know who I am.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
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CNN’s Allison Gordon, Isabelle Chapman, Casey Tolan and Pamela Brown contributed to this report.
