Leading Democrats Call on Swalwell To Suspend Race for California Governor Following Sex Assault Accusations

A flood of Democrats are calling on Congressman Eric Swalwell — who up until Friday was a favorite to be the next governor of California — to quit the race after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and in one case, rape. Mr. Swalwell denies the accusations and has shown no signs of quitting.The first allegation of sex crimes by Mr. Swalwell was reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. A woman who worked for Mr. Swalwell for two years said that the two had a number of consensual sexual encounters, but on two occasions, he assaulted her while she was too intoxicated to consent to sex. After that report, CNN found four additional women who are accusing Mr. Swalwell of varying degrees of sexual harassment or assault. One of those women says she was raped by the congressman. In the hours after those reports, top California Democrats quickly began rescinding their endorsements. Congresswoman Nanette Barragán, a former chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, pulled her support in a brief statement. Congressman Ted Lieu, the fourth-highest ranking Democrat in the House, similarly said he could no longer support Mr. Swalwell. Mr. Swalwell’s own campaign chairman, Congressman Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles, swiftly jumped ship shortly after the accusation was made in the Chronicle. “My involvement in any campaign begins and ends with trust. I cannot in good conscience remain in any role with this campaign, and I am stepping down from it effective immediately,” Mr. Gomez wrote in a statement just one hour after the Chronicle published its report. Most damning of all for Mr. Swalwell was a statement from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has not endorsed anyone in the gubernatorial race. She said on Friday evening that a full investigation must be conducted, and that she told Mr. Swalwell personally that the probe should be done while he was not a candidate for governor. The top three Democrats in the House — Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, and Congressman Pete Aguilar — also called for an investigation, and for Mr. Swalwell to suspend his campaign for governor. One of the sexual assaults alleged by the former staffer interviewed for the Chronicle report happened in New York City in 2024. On Saturday afternoon, CNN reported that Mr. Swalwell was under investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.When the House returns from recess next week, Mr. Swalwell is sure to face some kind of punishment from his Republican colleagues. Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna says she will introduce a motion to expel Mr. Swalwell from the House following these accusations. “I am extending a call to any Swalwell victims to contact my office with information. All victims deserve to be heard,” Ms. Luna wrote in a post on X on Saturday. “I will be bringing a vote to expel Rep. Swalwell from Congress next week, will Democrats vote to protect this corruption? I am not going to serve with these sexual deviants, that is not what Congress is about.”Ms. Luna has similarly called for her fellow Republican lawmaker, Congressman Tony Gonzales, to either resign or be expelled from the House after he was caught having an affair with an aide who later committed suicide. Another conservative House lawmaker, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, says she is bringing a motion to censure Mr. Swalwell, which would remove him from his committee assignments. Ms. Boebert, like Ms. Luna, is one of only a handful of Republicans to call on Mr. Gonzales to go, as well. “I am introducing a privileged resolution on the House floor to censure you for sexually harassing the women who work in your office,” Ms. Boebert wrote to Mr. Swalwell on X. “This behavior is disgusting and unbecoming of a Member of Congress.”Mr. Swalwell has shown no sign of quitting the race. On Friday night, he put out a defiant video statement, saying that the allegations were “flat false” and motivated by politics. “They’re absolutely false. They did not happen. They have never happened and I will fight them with everything that I have,” the congressman said in his video. “They also come on the eve of an election where I have been the frontrunner candidate for governor in California.”“I’ve certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife,” Mr. Swalwell said.This article has been updated to include a report that Mr. Swalwell is under investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

Leading Democrats Call on Swalwell To Suspend Race for California Governor Following Sex Assault Accusations

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