Eric Swalwell Drops Out of Governor Race Amid Growing Sexual Assault Scandal [WATCH]

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., announced he is suspending his campaign for California governor, citing personal issues and ongoing allegations in a statement posted on X.

“I am suspending my campaign for Governor,” Swalwell wrote.

“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,” he added.

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.

— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) April 13, 2026

The decision follows increased scrutiny after a report published Friday by the San Francisco Chronicle detailed allegations of sexual misconduct.

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The report included accounts from a woman accusing Swalwell of pursuing intoxicated women, pressuring employees into intimate situations, and requesting explicit images from female contacts.

Calls for Swalwell to exit the race and resign from Congress came from members of both parties.

Among those urging him to step aside was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who said the allegations should be addressed outside the framework of an active campaign.

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“The young woman who has made serious allegations against Congressman Swalwell must be respected and heard. This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability. As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that this is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign,” Pelosi said in a statement given to NBC.

Additional Democratic figures also distanced themselves from Swalwell’s campaign in the days following the report. Some withdrew prior endorsements and publicly called for further review of the allegations.

“I’ve read the San Francisco Chronicle’s reporting, and I take it seriously,” Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said in a post to X.

“What is described is indefensible. Women who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed,” he added.

Rep. Ted Lieu, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, also announced he would withdraw his support.

“In light of the recent allegations against Representative Eric Swalwell, I am withdrawing my endorsement of his campaign for Governor,” Lieu said in a separate post.

Earlier in the month, Cheyenne Hunt, a former Capitol Hill staffer and political media personality, circulated statements from women who said they had been sexually assaulted by Swalwell. Hunt posted claims online asserting a pattern of behavior.

“The Democratic candidate currently leading in the California governor’s race has a known history of being predatory towards women,” Hunt wrote in a post to social media.

Swalwell’s office had previously responded to the allegations in comments provided to the New York Post.

“This false, outrageous rumor is being spread 27 days before an election begins by flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in this race,” said Micah Beasley, a spokesperson for Swalwell.

With Swalwell suspending his campaign, the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom moves forward without one of its leading candidates.

Early voting for the June 2 primary is set to begin on May 4.

Polling had indicated Swalwell was leading among Democrats in the race, ahead of former Rep. Katie Porter and businessman Tom Steyer, who entered the race in November and has invested heavily in campaign advertising.

Both Porter and Steyer had called on Swalwell to suspend his campaign and resign from Congress.

Other Democratic candidates include former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

On the Republican side, conservative commentator and former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are competing for their party’s nomination.

President Donald Trump endorsed Hilton last weekend.

Despite that endorsement, neither Hilton nor Bianco reached the 60% delegate support threshold required to secure the California GOP’s official endorsement at the state party’s annual convention.

Under California’s primary system, candidates from all parties appear on the same ballot.

The top two vote-getters in the June primary will advance to the general election in November.

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