Representative Eric Swalwell, the Democratic frontrunner in the fiercely contested race to be governor of California, has suspended his campaign amid a series of sexual assault and misconduct allegations by a former staff member and at least three other women.
The woman who worked for Swalwell said the California congressman had sexually assaulted her twice when she was too inebriated to consent, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, which was published on Friday.
Three other women also accused Swalwell of misconduct, according to CNN. The women said Swalwell had sent them unsolicited nude photographs or explicit messages.
In a statement posted online, Swalwell said he would “fight the serious, false allegations that have been made – but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s”.
“To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” he said.
Swalwell, 45, has forcefully denied the allegations, calling them “false” and suggesting they were a concerted effort to derail his campaign.
“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,” he said in an earlier statement. “My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”
Earlier on Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security had announced an investigation, alleging that Swalwell hired “a Brazilian national as a nanny without lawful work authorization”.
The allegations of immigration law violation came to light after Joel Gilbert, a California filmmaker who made a conspiratorial documentary about Barack Obama in 2012, filed a 68-page complaint with immigration officials in February.
The allegations of sexual assault came as Swalwell, who is married and has three children, was beginning to consolidate support in a fluid Democratic field that had yet to produce a clear frontrunner. Almost immediately, prominent allies and rivals began to call on him to withdraw from the race, as several campaign staffers resigned. The California senator Adam Schiff, one of the most prominent Democrats to support Swalwell’s campaign for governor, had withdrawn his endorsement and called on him to exit the race, as did the senator Alex Padilla, who has remained neutral in the contest.
Congressmen Jimmy Gomez and Adam Gray, Swalwell’s campaign co-chairs, stepped down.
“My involvement in any campaign begins and ends with trust,” Gomez said. “I cannot in good conscience remain in any role with this campaign, and I am stepping down from it effective immediately.”
In a deeply personal rebuke, the Arizona senator Ruben Gallego withdrew his endorsement and expressed regret for having defended his friend against rumors of the allegations “prior to knowing all the information”.
Swalwell also lost the endorsement of the powerful California Teachers Association, which said it was “immediately suspending” support for his campaign. “Our elected board will be meeting as soon as possible to follow our union’s democratic process to determine next steps,” the union said in a statement on its Instagram account.
Swalwell, who is in his seventh term representing northern California, rose to national prominence as a pugnacious opponent of Donald Trump. An ally of the former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Swalwell was chosen to serve as an impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment trial, which centered on Trump’s role in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol. He briefly ran for president in 2020 but struggled to gain traction and withdrew before any primary votes were cast.
He was among the last candidates to enter the race for governor, declaring his candidacy during a November appearance on the ABC late-night show hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
His sudden departure is a jolt to the muddled field that has left California Democrats fretting that two Republicans could advance to the general election in the largest blue state in the nation – a quirk of its idiosyncratic primary system, which rewards the top two vote-getters regardless of party.
Recent polls showed Swalwell narrowly leading, followed by the Republican Steve Hilton, a British-born political consultant, and the Republican Riverside county sheriff, Chad Bianco.
