Rep. Eric Swalwell, Candidate for California Governor, Is Accused of Sexual Assault

Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for California governor, is facing calls to resign from Congress and drop out of the race after a former staffer accused him of sexual assault.

In interviews with the San Francisco Chronicle, which published its story on Friday afternoon, the unnamed former staff member said Swalwell sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent in both 2019 and 2024. The two encounters followed multiple advances from the East Bay Congress member, she said, both on Snapchat and in person.

Swalwell called the allegations false.

“For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women,” he told KQED in an emailed statement. “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.”

The allegations could shake up a wide-open race for governor ahead of California’s June 2 primary election. Swalwell has sat near the top of the polls since his entry into the race in November, and he recently garnered support from powerful labor unions and business groups.

The Chronicle reports the former staffer first worked on Swalwell’s brief 2019 campaign for president, when she was 21 and just out of college, and is 17 years younger than Swalwell, who is married with three children.

She told the outlet that Swalwell “began pursuing her within weeks” after she joined his congressional district office and eventually sent her naked photos over Snapchat.

In September 2019, the woman told the Chronicle that she went out drinking with a group of friends and Swalwell in downtown Pleasanton. She said she became so intoxicated that she did not remember much of the evening, but told the Chronicle that “she could feel the effect of vaginal intercourse.”

Five years later, the woman said she met up with Swalwell in New York to discuss her career and later went out for drinks with him. She told the Chronicle that her last clear memory of the evening was going to the bathroom at the bar, but that she remembers snippets of being in Swalwell’s hotel room, pushing him off of her and telling him no. She said she woke up alone in his hotel room with vaginal bleeding and bruising, and told her then-boyfriend about the encounter when she got home.

According to the Chronicle story, the reporters reviewed text messages between the woman and a friend she told about the alleged 2024 assault three days later, as well as medical records detailing a doctor’s visit a week later, where she took STD tests and a pregnancy test. The story also quotes the woman’s ex-boyfriend, who confirmed she told him about the alleged assault and encouraged her to go to the police.

“I never thought anyone would believe me, because of how powerful he was,” she told the Chronicle. “I knew any police investigation would be made public. And I was still protecting myself and, in some ways, him.”

For weeks, progressive content creators on TikTok and X had discussed vague claims of sexual misconduct against Swalwell. After a town hall in Sacramento on Tuesday, Swalwell was asked by KCRA whether he ever behaved inappropriately with female staffers. He said “no.”

After the Chronicle story was published Friday, multiple candidates in the governor’s race, including former Rep. Katie Porter, investor Tom Steyer, former State Controller Betty Yee, San José Mayor Matt Mahan and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, called on Swalwell to end his campaign. High-profile politicians who had endorsed the congressman began to pull their support, and some called for him to drop out.

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who was co-chair of Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign, said he was stepping away immediately and urged Swalwell to “leave the race now so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay.”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a longtime ally of Swalwell’s, indicated she had spoken with him. She characterized the allegations as serious and called for the woman to be “respected and heard.”

“This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability,” she said. “As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

And Gov. Gavin Newsom, who’s so far stayed out of the governor’s race, said through a spokesperson: “As we continue to learn more, these allegations from multiple sources are deeply troubling and must be taken seriously.”

Recent public polling has put Swalwell in the top tier of candidates, along with fellow Democrats Porter and Steyer, as well as two Republicans — commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

In recent weeks, a wide range of powerful players at the state Capitol threw their endorsements and money behind Swalwell, including the California Teachers Association, SEIU, the California Medical Association and Uber.

On Friday afternoon, after the Chronicle published its story, the CTA said it was immediately suspending its support while its board prepared to meet to discuss next steps. SEIU California said it had “suspended campaign activities and expenditures” ahead of a meeting of its leaders.