Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell announced his decision to end his California gubernatorial campaign amid multiple sexual misconduct allegations made against him.
“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. I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s,” Swalwell wrote on his X account.
Swalwell’s decision followed pressure from close allies and staffers to do so, as well as criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, after a former staffer alleged that she had sexual encounters with the congressman while working in his office, which included being sexually assaulted by him twice while she was too intoxicated to consent, in an article published by the San Francisco Chronicle last Friday (April 10).
The San Francisco Chronicle said it reviewed text messages sent by the former staffer three days after one alleged encounter took place, which included the woman saying she told Swalwell to stop. The newspaper also interviewed the woman’s boyfriend at the time who confirmed that she told him about the alleged assault by the congressman.
The San Francisco Chronicle also reviewed medical records confirming the staffer sought pregnancy and STD tests after the alleged incidents occurred. Swalwell issued a statement to the newspaper denying the woman’s allegations as “false.”
CNN later reported on sexual misconduct allegations made against Swalwell by four other woman, including one whose story matched the San Francisco Chronicle‘s report. Democratic influencer Ally Sammarco identified herself as one of the women, claiming Swalwell had sent her unsolicited photos of his penis during a past incident.
“This has not been easy for me or the other women. I have so much respect for them for telling their stories,” Sammarco wrote on her X account. “I shared mine publicly because I have a platform and resources that others may not—and I wanted to help validate their experiences. None of this is our fault. This is about an abuse of power. No one paid us to come forward. For those questioning the timing: I don’t live in California, and I have no stake in who becomes Governor. I’m a Democrat who wants this party to succeed. Thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way.”
CNN said it corroborated the four women’s accounts through interviews with family members and friends, as well as reviewing their messages exchanged with Swalwell. The congressman shared a video on social media denying the “allegations of sexual assault as flat false.”
“They did not happen. They have never happened. And I will fight them with everything I have,” Swalwell said.
Notable Democrats who called for Swalwell to drop out of the race included Reps. Jimmy Gomez and Adam Gray of California, the co-chairs of his campaign and Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, while former Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a longtime close ally of Swalwell, said the allegations “must be respected and heard” via NBC News.
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