Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell announced on Sunday that he is suspending his campaign for governor of California following accusations made by a former staffer to the San Francisco Chronicle that he sexually assaulted her. The congressman has denied these allegations.
Swalwell’s decision comes amid a growing push from his party to not only get out of the race, but to resign from Congress.
“I am suspending my campaign for Governor. To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell wrote in a post to X Sunday night.
“I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s,” he wrote.
Over the weekend, The San Francisco Chronicle published the account of an unidentified woman who claims to have been hired at the age of 21 to work as an intern in Swalwell’s district office.
The former staffer claimed that she had sexual encounters with the congressman while working in his office. She also alleged that he sexually assaulted her twice while she was intoxicated and unable to consent. FWRD AXIS News has not verified her allegations but has confirmed her identity and her employment with Swalwell from 2019 to 2021.
The Chronicle corroborated the former staffer’s story by reviewing text messages she sent to a friend three days after one of the alleged encounters. In the text, the woman mentioned that she had told Swalwell to stop. The paper also interviewed her boyfriend at the time, who confirmed that she had informed him about the alleged assault. Furthermore, the paper’s reporters examined medical records that indicated that she had sought pregnancy and STD tests in the aftermath of the incident.
Swalwell told the Chronicle in a statement that the woman’s allegations were “false.”
CNN later reported on sexual misconduct allegations against Swalwell from four women, including one whose story matched the details from the Chronicle article. One of the women, Democratic influencer Ally Sammarco, claimed that Swalwell sent her unsolicited photos of his penis.
Swalwell later posted a video to social media saying “these allegations of sexual assault are flat false.”
“They did not happen, they have never happened. And I will fight them with everything I have,” Swalwell said in the video.
The top three House Democrats including Leader Hakeem Jeffries call on Rep. Swalwell to “immediately” drop his bid for governor.
“Following the incredibly disturbing sexual assault accusations against Congressman Eric Swalwell, we call for a swift investigation into these incidents and for the Congressman to immediately end his campaign to be California’s next Governor,” Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement released Friday.
In a statement, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: “This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability. As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”
