Rep. Eric Swalwell’s bid for the California governor’s mansion and perhaps his entire political future are on life support after a wave of sexual assault and misconduct allegations from multiple women.
The accusations triggered a Manhattan grand jury investigation and prompted a chorus of Democratic leaders to urge the veteran congressman to drop out of the statewide race.
It was clear this weekend that few lawmakers in either party were buying Mr. Swalwell’s denials of wrongdoing. Some openly called for him to end his gubernatorial bid and resign from Congress.
If not, then the Democratic lawmaker ardently opposed to President Trump could be staring down an expulsion fight 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 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.”
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 had 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.
In a video posted online, Mr. Swalwell said the allegations are “flat false” and vowed to “fight them with everything that I have.” He said he had made “mistakes in judgment in the past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife — and to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position.”
Democrats, however, jumped ship, labor unions pulled their endorsements, and top campaign operatives quit.
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 the congressman 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.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Florida Republican, cited the rape allegations when she said she would move to expel Mr. Swalwell from the House when lawmakers return to Washington this week.
Democrats plan to respond by pushing to expel Mr. Gonzales, who is no longer seeking reelection 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 would 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 and requires 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 expelled on a 311-114 vote on Dec. 1, 2023. He was 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 succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is term-limited.
If Mr. Swalwell bows to pressure, then his exit could help boost other prominent Democrats in the crowded field, including former Rep. Katie Porter and billionaire Tom Steyer.
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.
Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Hilton, a former conservative commentator. Still, Mr. Hilton fell short of winning the California Republican Party’s endorsement at its spring convention after basically splitting the vote with Mr. Bianco.
On Sunday, Mr. Hilton predicted Mr. Swalwell was toast.
“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 accused Sen. Adam B. 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.”
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.