LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell was facing calls Friday to withdraw from the race — and surrender his congressional seat — amid allegations that he sexually assaulted a former staffer.
Swalwell, D-Dublin, has strongly denied the allegations, which prompted two of his fellow gubernatorial hopefuls to hold news conferences in the Los Angeles area Friday to demand his exit from the race.
“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor,” Swalwell said in a statement. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman – – and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”
NBC Los Angeles reported that Swalwell was meeting with his family on Friday in the San Francisco Bay Area.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a former staffer contends she had sexual encounters with Swalwell while working for him, and she claims he sexually assaulted her on two occasions when she was drunk and unable to give her consent.
“I hope Eric Swalwell will do the right thing and get out of this race now,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said at a Beverly Hills news conference Friday.
Earlier Friday, Mahan wrote on the social platform X, “To the survivor who risked everything to come forward — I believe you. To the Democratic Party — you’d better hold him accountable. If we don’t we have no credibility asking anyone else to do the same. To (Swalwell) — drop out.”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond also hastily called a news conference Friday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles, calling on Swalwell to withdraw from the governor’s race and resign from Congress.
In a video posted on social media after the Chronicle story was released, Thurmond pointed to earlier allegations that began circulating online about possible inappropriate contact by Swalwell with female staff members — accusations that Swalwell has also denied.
“These are credible women represented by legal counsel working with investigative journalists to make sure their stories are told safely and on the record,” Thurmond said.
“The number of women who have come forward is by all accounts shocking, and Congressman Swalwell’s response has been to call it a conspiracy and to attack the women who were brave enough to speak out.
“… California cannot have a governor who treats the people who work for him as something to take advantage of,” he said. “We cannot have a governor who silences victims. … Leadership requires accountability and right now, Eric Swalwell is refusing to be accountable for anything. He needs to step aside.”
Swalwell had previously denied the allegations that began circulating online earlier this week.
“Some of the allegations I’ve seen, which is that we’ve had (non- disclosure agreements) in the office — never,” he said. “There’s never been an allegation and there’s never been a settlement.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, an attorney for Swalwell’s campaign sent a cease-and-desist letter on Thursday to an unknown person demanding that the person stop accusing Swalwell of assault.
Meanwhile, Politico reported Friday that several members of Swalwell’s campaign resigned just prior to the Chronicle’s story being published. One of those staffers, adviser Courtni Pugh, confirmed her departure to Politico, which reported that at least four other people had also left the campaign.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton also weighed in Friday, saying, “It’s also incredible that the big unions that run California picked Swalwell as their puppet, knowing full well that all this was out there. For all their endless lectures on gender equality and their `values,’ it’s obvious that today’s California Democratic Party doesn’t care about them at all, except for its own power.”
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