Eric Swalwell suspends campaign for California governor

Rep. Eric Swalwell on Sunday evening said he was suspending his campaign for California governor on the heels of sexual misconduct allegations against the Democratic lawmaker.

“To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell, 45, said in a post on X announcing the suspension of his campaign.

“I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s,” said Swalwell, a married father of three.

Swalwell’s announcement came after growing calls by former allies and others that he drop out of the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fellow Democrat, and a day after the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it was investigating a claim that Swalwell sexually assaulted one of his accusers in New York City in April 2024.

In a statement on Sunday, more than 50 former Swalwell staff members urged him to resign from Congress and to quit the gubernatorial contest.

“No one is above the law,” the statement said, according to The New York Times. “Not a congressman. Not a candidate for governor. No one.”

Swalwell had been a leading contender in the governor’s race until the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday reported that a woman who had worked on his congressional staff for nearly two years alleged that they had sexual encounters while he was her boss and that he sexually assaulted her on two occasions when she was too intoxicated to give consent.

Shortly after the Chronicle broke that story, CNN reported that in addition to that accuser, “Three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by the Democratic congressman – including Swalwell sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.”

Swalwell, in a statement on Friday, denied the allegations.

“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor,” Swalwell said.

“For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women,” he said.

“I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”