Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell suspended his bid to become California’s next governor on Sunday, ending a campaign that quickly unraveled after sexual assault allegations published this week by the San Francisco Chronicle and later by CNN. Swalwell, who denied the allegations, said he would respond to the claims outside the campaign, telling supporters that he would “fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s,” in a social media post.
The sudden reversal unfolded less than a month before ballots go out in advance of the June 2 primary, in a Democratic field already crowded with candidates vying under California’s top-two primary system. Under that system, two candidates advance regardless of party, a structure Democrats worry can allow Republicans to gain an opening in November if too many Democrats split the vote.
The allegations cited in the reporting include claims that Swalwell sexually assaulted a woman twice, including when she worked for him, and a reported 2024 incident in New York. The Associated Press reported that neither the Chronicle nor CNN named the woman and that AP said it could not independently verify her account and identity; the woman’s lawyer declined to comment. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it is investigating the alleged 2024 incident and urged anyone with knowledge to contact its special victims division.
Swalwell’s campaign momentum appeared to have been disrupted even as he tried to address personal matters. The AP reported that Swalwell seemingly referenced infidelity in multiple statements, writing, “To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” after a video post on Friday in which he apologized to his wife. His exit came after Democrats “quickly abandoned him” following publication of the allegations Friday, AP said, and it followed a fast loss of support from allies in Congress and labor unions that had previously endorsed him.
Some Democrats also pushed for a broader response inside the House, including calls for Swalwell to resign his seat. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said Saturday she would file a motion to start the process of expelling Swalwell if he did not step aside, setting up the possibility that the issue could come to a head when the House returns to session Tuesday.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal said Sunday that the calls were not limited to one side of the political spectrum. “This is not a partisan issue,” Jayapal said. “This cuts across party lines. And it is depravity of the way that women have been treated.” AP reported that Reps. Jared Huffman, Ro Khanna and Sam Liccardo also said Swalwell should resign, along with members outside California including Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico and Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state.
AP further reported that Huffman, Jayapal and Leger Fernández said they would vote to expel Swalwell from the House. They also said they would support expelling Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who admitted to an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide. Expulsion votes in the House are rare and require a two-thirds majority, but AP noted recent precedent: Republican George Santos of New York was ousted in 2023, the sixth member expelled in House history.
Swalwell’s suspension leaves other prominent Democrats scrambling for coalition-building in the remaining governor race. AP listed major figures including billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer and former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, while prominent Republican contenders included former Fox News host Steve Hilton, backed by Donald Trump, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
In Washington, allies who had helped run Swalwell’s campaign or were close to it also stepped away. The AP reported that Gomez, a key organizer, said he was immediately ending his role, and it said support was cut by Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Jimmy Gomez as the allegations circulated. As the field resets heading into the primary, the next phase will test which candidates can consolidate endorsements and donors quickly in a contest that Democrats had been anxious could splinter the party and reshape the general-election path.