Swalwell suspends California gubernatorial bid amid sexual assault allegations

Rep. Eric Swalwell suspended his campaign for California governor Sunday night, bowing to mounting pressure from Democratic leaders after a wave of sexual assault and misconduct allegations from multiple women threatened to end his political career.

“I am suspending my campaign for Governor,” Mr. Swalwell said 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,” he said.

The accusations triggered a Manhattan grand jury investigation into the ardent anti-Trump congressman and fueled demands by Democratic leaders that he drop out of the statewide race.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that Mr. Swalwell was accused of sexually assaulting a former staffer twice when she was too intoxicated to consent. The first incident was in 2019. CNN reported that three other women said he engaged in nonconsensual sex or sent inappropriate messages, including nude photos.

Adam Parkhomenko said his wife, Ally Sammarco, went on the record “so that hopefully this did not happen to other women and maybe it would help other women come forward.” He said she provided CNN with messages Mr. Swalwell had sent her.

Mr. Swalwell is married with three children.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it is investigating a sexual assault allegation after a former staffer told CNN she became inebriated while drinking with him in 2024 and woke up to him raping her in his New York City hotel room. “I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” she told CNN. “He didn’t stop.”

Democrats jumped ship, labor unions pulled their endorsements, and top campaign operatives quit. Reps. Jimmy Gomez and Adam Gray stepped down as co-chairs, the California Teachers Association revoked its endorsement, and Sens. Adam B. Schiff and Ruben Gallego withdrew their support. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called on Mr. Swalwell to end his campaign.

Mr. Swalwell still could be staring down an expulsion fight in the House.

Before the suspension announcement, Democrats and Republican members were openly signaling they would seek to expel Mr. Swalwell, alongside Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican who admitted to an extramarital affair with a staffer who died by suicide in September.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “This cuts across party lines, and it is a depravity of the way that women have been treated.”

Asked whether she would vote to expel both Mr. Swalwell and Mr. Gonzales, the Washington Democrat said simply: “I would.”

Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, said Mr. Swalwell must step aside and called for ethics and law enforcement investigations. “What he did is sick and disgusting,” Mr. Khanna said on “Fox News Sunday.” “There needs to be consequences to that.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Florida Republican, said she would move to expel Mr. Swalwell from the House when lawmakers return to Washington this week, citing the rape allegations. Democrats plan to respond by pushing to expel Mr. Gonzales, who is no longer seeking re-election and is reportedly being investigated by the House Ethics Committee over sexual misconduct allegations.

Rep. Byron Donalds, the Trump-backed Florida gubernatorial candidate, said he will vote yes on both expulsion measures if given the chance.

“These allegations are despicable, and they demean the integrity of Congress,” Mr. Donalds said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Both gentlemen need to go home.”

Expulsion is the most severe form of congressional discipline, requiring a two-thirds vote. The action is rare, generally reserved for serious, often criminal, offenses. The last House member to be expelled was Rep. George Santos, a New York Republican, who was voted out on Dec. 1, 2023, by a 311-114 margin — the sixth member in House history to be removed.

Before the scandal broke, Mr. Swalwell, who rose to prominence as a vocal Trump critic and cable news regular, had been gaining momentum ahead of California’s June 2 jungle primary, in which the top two finishers — regardless of party — advance to the general election. The winner will replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited.

Mr. Swalwell’s exit from the gubernatorial contest is expected to reshape the crowded Democratic field, with former Rep. Katie Porter and billionaire Tom Steyer seen as the most likely beneficiaries.

Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, sheriff of Riverside County, are also running strong as they try to become California’s first Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served from 2003 to 2011.

President Trump endorsed Mr. Hilton, a former conservative commentator, but he fell short of winning the endorsement from the California Republican Party at its spring convention after basically splitting the vote with Mr. Bianco.

Earlier Sunday, Mr. Hilton had predicted the suspension was coming.

“We’re hearing that he is going to be dropping out,” Mr. Hilton said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “That’s not confirmed yet, but that’s what’s coming into me from the Democrats, who are sick of this guy because he is embarrassing them.”

Mr. Hilton also accused Mr. Schiff and California’s powerful labor unions of endorsing Mr. Swalwell despite having known about the allegations before they became public.

“They all knew about this,” he said. “This has been an open secret ever since he got into the campaign. They didn’t care.”