Eric Swalwell suspends California gubernatorial campaign amid sexual harassment allegations

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

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

Democrats quickly condemned Swalwell, 44, after allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman twice, including while he was working for her. The allegations were first published on Friday in the San Francisco Chronicle, and later by CNN.

The woman worked for Swalwell in 2019, when the alleged assault took place, and the assault in 2024 is alleged to have happened after a charity gala, the Chronicle reported. He said that in both of these incidents he was too drunk to consent to having sex, he told the newspaper that MrI didn’t go to the police because I was afraid he wouldn’t believe me.

The paper did not name the woman, and The Associated Press could not independently verify her account and identity.

The alleged incident in 2024 took place in New York, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said on Saturday that it is investigating. The DA’s office urged anyone with information to contact the special victims unit.

Although Swalwell denied the allegations in a video posted on Friday, he appeared to talk about infidelity in several statements.

“To my family, staff, friends and supporters, I am deeply sorry for the mistakes I have made in the 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 posting a nude photo. Here’s a look at the political implications of the dramatic development:

Who is Eric Swalwell?

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

Aged just 38, he launched a presidential run in April 2019 but called it quits a few months later after failing to keep up with voters.

The short campaign has raised his profile, and he has become one of the most vocal critics of President Donald Trump’s Democratic Alliance. He served as one of the House leaders — essentially a prosecutorial role — when Trump was impeached in early 2021.

Swalwell was interviewed by the FBI, after it was discovered that Christine Fang, who is suspected of working for China’s intelligence service, reportedly met with Swalwell’s 2012 and 2014 election campaigns.

Swalwell said he cut off contact with Fang after being tipped off by federal investigators. He was never accused of wrongdoing and a House ethics committee investigation that opened in 2021 was closed after two years without action.

Swalwell is married and has three children.

What does it mean for the race in California

SWalwell’s sudden exit from the California governor’s race has left his rivals scrambling to lock up former supporters in a tight race in the most populous US state.

Swalwell seemed to be building ahead of the rivals, according to the polls, in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is not eligible for another term. He quickly lost the endorsement of teachers’ unions and civil servants, as well as several high-ranking politicians, after the allegations surfaced on Friday.

With seven established Democrats and two Republicans leading the primary ballot with more than 50 candidates, the race remains tight. The top two candidates in the June 2 election—regardless of party—will run in the November election. Republicans hope to have a good chance to stay in the governor’s office in 15 years, since Arnold Schwarzenegger left office.

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

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, a billionaire former hedge fund manager and environmentalist who is running for president in 2020.

The leading Republican candidates are London-born Steve Hilton, a former US-based British political consultant who hosted Fox News for six years, and Chad Bianco, a Southern California sheriff who is denying a 2020 presidential bid.

What does it mean in the US House

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

“This is not a one-sided issue,” Washington Democrat Pramila Jayapal said on Sunday. “This cuts across groups. And it’s a disservice to the way women are treated.”

Some of his supporters said they would support a rare move to impeach him if he refuses to step down, and with the House returning on Tuesday, the issue could be dealt with quickly.

Impeachment votes in the House are rare and require a two-thirds majority, obtained in 2023 in the case of convicted fraudster George Santos. Trump commuted the prison sentence of his Republican colleague late last year.

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

Republicans hold 217 seats in the House, to Democrats’ 214 and one independent running with the Republicans. Clay Fuller, a Republican, will take office soon after winning last week to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, and there are still two special elections to be held for vacant seats.