Top Democrats Swiftly Call on Swalwell to Drop His Gubernatorial Bid Following Sexual Assault Allegations

Support for Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell’s campaign for California governor cratered on Friday night, following allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against the congressman.

Top Democrats, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and both of California’s senators, called on Swalwell to end his bid for governor, after a former Swalwell staffer alleged he sexually assaulted her twice while she was intoxicated.

“This woman was brave to come forward, and we should take her story seriously,” Sen. Adam Schiff, who had previously endorsed Swalwell, wrote in a post on X. “I am withdrawing my endorsement immediately, and believe that he should withdraw from the race.”

Pelosi, the California congresswoman who had not previously endorsed in the race, wrote in a statement to NOTUS that “the young woman who has made serious allegations against Congressman Swalwell must be respected and heard.” “This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability,” Pelosi wrote. “As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

Swalwell has denied the allegations and his attorneys said in a cease-and-desist letter that the recipient’s allegations were “fatally undermined” by her “voluntary and cooperative relationship with Mr. Swalwell over the course of many years following the period” she described.

Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who chaired Swalwell’s short presidential bid in 2019, had defended Swalwell in the days leading up to the allegations becoming public. On Friday, he said he regretted doing so and rescinded his endorsement, but stopped short of calling for him to exit the race.

“What is described is indefensible,” Gallego wrote. “Women who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed.”

Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California, who served as Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign co-chair, wrote in a statement posted on X shortly after the allegations were published that the “congressman should leave the race now so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay.”

Rep. Adam Gray, who chaired the campaign with Gomez, withdrew his support for Swalwell and also called on him to drop his bid, as did Rep. Kevin Mullin.

The California Teachers Association, an organization with over 300,000 members and which had endorsed Swalwell at the end of March, quickly “suspended their support” of the Swalwell campaign. The California Federation of Labor Unions said that it was “acting urgently to follow our constitutionally prescribed democratic process to determine next steps.”

Ian Calderon, a former gubernatorial candidate who dropped out and in March endorsed Swalwell, rescinded his endorsement, calling on Swalwell to leave the race and resign from Congress.

Rusty Hicks, the chair of the California Democratic Party, called the allegations against Swalwell “deeply disturbing” and reiterated calls he made in a March letter for candidates to “honestly assess the viability of their candidacy and campaign.”

“The stories of victims and survivors should be heard and believed. Period. Second, any person engaged in misconduct must take responsibility and be held accountable for their actions - including any member of Congress and candidate for Governor,” Hicks said.

The state party did not endorse a candidate following its February convention, with no candidate reaching the required 60% delegate support threshold. Sen. Alex Padilla, who has not endorsed a candidate in the race, called for Swalwell to “step aside to ensure a full, transparent investigation free from undue influence.”

Swawell’s top opponents in the race quickly jumped in, saying they believed the allegations against him, and called for him to drop out. Swalwell is currently seen as a frontrunner.

Matt Mahan, Tony Thurmond, Betty Yee, Xavier Becerra and Antonio Villaraigosa all called for Swalwell to exit the race.

“Eric Swalwell should be nowhere near any position of power, much less be governor of California,” Tom Steyer, a billionaire running in the Democratic governor’s primary, wrote on X. “He must resign from Congress and drop out of the race immediately.”

Christie Stephenson, a spokesperson for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, wrote in a statement that “these are very serious allegations that require a serious and thorough investigation” but did not call for the congressman to step down or rescind his gubernatorial bid. Rep. Ted Lieu of California, another member of Democratic House leadership, also rescinded his endorsement.

Rep. Ro Khanna, who had endorsed Steyer for governor, called for a law-enforcement investigation, as well as an investigation by the House Committee on Ethics.

“There cannot be two tiers of justice in this nation,” Khanna wrote on X.