Eric Swalwell drops out of California governor’s race after a number of sexual misconduct allegations | EUROtoday

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California suspended his gubernatorial marketing campaign Sunday night time below immense stress from colleagues after a former staffer’s accusations of sexual assault set off a string of sexual misconduct allegations.

“I am suspending my campaign for Governor,” Swalwell wrote on X. “To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.

“I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.”

Swalwell, 45, was the main Democratic candidate within the race to exchange Governor Gavin Newsom and had acquired roughly two dozen endorsements from prime lawmakers, labor unions and organizations.

But these endorsements had been rapidly rescinded after the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN printed studies inside hours of one another on April 10 alleging that a number of ladies had skilled sexual misconduct by the hands of Swalwell.

Swalwell vehemently denies the allegations and had promised to “fight them,” implying that the accusations had been made in a coordinated effort to harm his marketing campaign.

A lady who as soon as labored for Swalwell advised the Chronicle that the congressman had sexually assaulted her twice between 2019 and 2024. At the time, Swalwell was 17 years older than the staffer and was roughly two years into his present marriage.

Three different ladies advised CNN they skilled a variety of sexual misconduct by the congressman between 2021 and 2025, from receiving unsolicited nude pictures to undesirable bodily advances whereas intoxicated.

At least three of the ladies acquired cease-and-desist letters from a lawyer representing Swalwell, threatening to make use of authorized motion if they didn’t retract the “false” allegations.

Senior marketing campaign officers stepped down shortly after the allegations had been made. Staff for Swalwell’s congressional workplace and gubernatorial marketing campaign launched an announcement denouncing Swalwell’s conduct.

By April 11, the Manhattan district lawyer’s workplace opened an investigation after the previous staffer stated Swalwell had assaulted her in New York City.

Following Sunday’s announcement the Mayor of San Jose Matt Mahan, who can also be vying for Governor, wrote: “Eric Swalwell is done. Done abusing women. Done climbing the political ladder. Done. He does not get any credit for doing less than the bare minimum.

“Exiting a race you should never have entered deserves no credit. It is an overdue acknowledgment of what the brave survivors who came forward already made clear: Eric Swalwell represented the worst of politics. California deserves better. And now, California will get better.”

In addition to requires him to drop out, some lawmakers referred to as on Swalwell to resign from Congress solely. Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida had deliberate to file a movement to expel Swalwell from the House.

Swalwell represented California’s fifteenth district, which incorporates the southern facet of San Francisco, from 2013 till 2023. He represents the state’s 14th district.