Attorney Eric Swalwell withdraws bid for California governor amid allegations of misconduct
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Attorney Eric Swalwell said he is suspending his campaign for governor of California, citing personal issues and ongoing allegations in a statement filed with X.
“I am suspending my campaign for Governor,” Swalwell wrote. “To my family, staff, friends and supporters, I am deeply sorry for the mistakes I made in the past.
“I will fight the serious, false allegations made – but that’s my fight, not the campaign’s,” he added.
The decision comes as pressure mounts over allegations of sexual harassment published in a bombshell report by the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday, with lawyers from both parties calling for him to drop out of the race and resign from Congress.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS PLAN TO EXCLUDE SWALWELL FROM CONGRESS Amid SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS
Figures calling for Swalwell to step aside include former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Pelosi called for the investigation of the charges against Swalwell to take place outside the context of her campaign.
“The young woman who made serious allegations about Congressman Swalwell must be respected and listened to. This very serious matter must be properly investigated with full transparency and accountability. As I have discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that this is best done outside of the gubernatorial campaign,” said Pelosi in a statement provided to NBC.
ALLEGED SWALWELL DOG ​​MISBEHAVIOR AS DEM CHALLENGES WALK IN CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S INAUGURATION.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., was mocked on X this week after he posted a video of himself lifting weights while bashing Republicans. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Most other Democrats soon joined the former speaker’s calls, with the campaign’s previous recommendations being withdrawn.
“I read the San Francisco Chronicle’s reporting, and I take it seriously,” said Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., in a post on X.
“What is being described is indefensible. Women who come forward with accounts like these deserve to be listened to with respect, not questioned or fired,” he added.
Rep. Ted Lieu, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, also said he would withdraw his endorsement.
SWALWELL’S GYM ‘GOT TO WORK’, POOL VIDEOS BACK AS DEM RIVAL HAMMERS HAS HIS VOTES IN HOUSE MISSED
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel at the Rayburn House Office Building on September 17, 2025. (Wina McNamee/Getty Images)
“Due to recent allegations against Representative Eric Swalwell, I am withdrawing my support for his campaign for Governor,” Lieu said on his site.
In its report on Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle detailed photo accounts from a woman who accused Swalwell of pursuing intoxicated women, pressuring employees into critical situations and requesting revealing photos from female contacts.
Talks of Swalwell’s misconduct began to surface earlier this month when Cheyenne Hunt, a former Capitol Hill staffer and political activist, began circulating testimony from women who said they were sexually harassed by the congressman.
“The Democratic candidate currently leading the California gubernatorial race has a well-known history of misogyny,” Hunt said in a social media post.
Although initially tight-lipped about the allegations, Swalwell’s office remained silent on the matter in a statement published in the New York newspaper earlier this week.
“These false, outrageous rumors are being spread 27 days before the election by the anti-sorcerer and anti-MAGA conspiracists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in the race,” said Micah Beasley, Swalwell’s spokesman.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., delivered his remarks during a 2020 House Judiciary Committee hearing. (Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)
With Swalwell out of the race, the battle to replace the long-stalled Democratic Alliance government. Gavin Newsom is getting even more agitated ahead of the June 2 primary. Early voting begins on May 4.
Public opinion polls showed Swalwell was the front-runner for the Democratic Party in the race, ahead of former MP Katie Porter and billionaire Tom Steyer, who has flooded the airwaves with ads since announcing his candidacy in November. Both Porter and Steyer on Friday called on Swalwell to suspend his campaign for minister and resign from Congress.
The crowded field of Democrats includes former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
There are two major Republicans in the race: conservative commentator and Fox News host Steve Hilton and Sheriff County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
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President Donald Trump endorsed Hilton last weekend, which appears to boost his support. But Trump’s support wasn’t enough to put Hilton over the top this weekend at the annual California GOP convention. Neither Hilton nor Bianco was able to exceed the 60% of delegate support required to receive approval from the regional organization.
Democrats and Republicans appear on the same ballot in the June primary, and the top two finishers advance to the November general election.
