Four Women Accuse Swalwell of Sexual Misconduct; Campaign Staff Resign, Democrats Demand He Drop Out
CNN published accounts from four accusers, including a former intern who alleges rape, as the California congressman's governor campaign unraveled overnight.
California Congressman Eric Swalwell's campaign for governor collapsed into crisis Friday after CNN published accounts from four women describing sexual misconduct, including a rape allegation from a former district office intern. The reporting followed a San Francisco Chronicle story from earlier in the week in which the intern — hired at age 21 — alleged that Swalwell had raped her while she was heavily intoxicated, and that a second incident occurred at a 2024 gala in New York. Swalwell, who has been a leading contender in the crowded 2026 Democratic primary field, denied all accusations. 'These allegations are absolutely false and did not happen,' he said in a statement issued through his campaign.
The political fallout was swift and severe. Multiple senior campaign staffers submitted resignations by Friday evening. House Democratic leaders, who had until recently viewed Swalwell as a viable candidate in a race with major implications for the party's national standing, called for an immediate investigation and urged him to suspend his campaign. Fellow Democratic gubernatorial candidates — including Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — issued statements expressing concern and calling for Swalwell to step aside while allegations are reviewed.
The Chronicle had first reported the initial accusation from the former intern, identified by her legal counsel as a one-time employee of Swalwell's East Bay district office. According to her account, the congressman initiated contact after she left his office, and the alleged rape occurred at a private gathering in 2022. The New York incident, she alleged, took place at a Democratic fundraiser. CNN's follow-up reporting, based on interviews with three additional women, described a pattern of unwanted physical contact and inappropriate propositions at campaign events and donor gatherings between 2021 and 2024.
Swalwell, 45, has represented California's 14th Congressional District since 2013 and built a national profile as a sharp critic of Republican leadership and a frequent presence on cable news. He briefly ran for president in 2019. His gubernatorial campaign had centered on themes of democratic accountability and combating political corruption — rhetoric that made the allegations particularly damaging among progressive primary voters.
The controversy arrives at a critical moment for California Democrats, who are navigating a competitive primary ahead of the November election. Internal party polling had shown Swalwell drawing double-digit support statewide, putting him in the upper tier of candidates. Whether he withdraws from the race or attempts to weather the allegations will be one of the defining political dramas of the early California campaign season. His next scheduled public appearance, a Saturday morning fundraiser in San Francisco, was canceled.
Originally reported by CBS News.