Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell suspended his campaign to succeed Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom Sunday evening after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged.
Swalwell’s campaign went into freefall after sexual misconduct allegations emerged from multiple women, including a staffer who accused him of engaging in sexual activity while she was unable to consent. Swalwell announced the end of his campaign in a Sunday post on X.
“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 said. “I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.”
The Manhattan District Attorney announced Saturday it was investigating one of the sexual assault allegations against Swalwell, this one stemming from an incident after a 2024 charity event involving a former staffer. The staffer told CNN she had been drunk when she woke up to find Swalwell with her in bed.
“I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” the woman said. “He didn’t stop.”
The woman also alleged that she woke up next to the congressman naked in his hotel room in September 2019 while working at his district office, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Alameda County District Attorney is investigating the 2019 incident, CNN reported.
Another woman, Democratic social media influencer Ally Sammarco, accused Swalwell of sending her unsolicited pictures of his genitalia, telling CNN that his messages “became very inappropriate, like saying about how hot he thought I was, insinuating we should get together and hook up.”
Multiple Democrats called on Swalwell to end his gubernatorial bid to succeed Newsom, who is term-limited, since the allegations became public. The allegations are not the first against Swalwell involving rumored sexual relationships.
Swalwell was removed from the House Intelligence Committee in 2023 by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over an alleged affair with Christine Fang, who reportedly worked with Communist China’s Ministry of State Security. Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing in his relationship with Fang.
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