California gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-CA, appears at a town hall meeting in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
SACRAMENTO — Multiple California Democrats on Friday called for Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Castro Valley, to end his campaign for governor after the Chronicle reported allegations that he sexually assaulted a former staffer.
The calls for Swalwell to drop out of the race, including from some of his closest allies, came swiftly on Friday afternoon after the Chronicle reported that a former staffer for the congressman said she had sexual encounters with him while he was her boss and alleged he twice sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent.
Swalwell denied her allegations.
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“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor,” he wrote in a statement. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. 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.”
Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, who had co-chaired Swalwell’s campaign, said he was immediately stepping down from his role within the campaign and called on him to drop out.
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“Today I learned shocking information about Eric Swalwell containing the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable,” he wrote in a social media post. “I cannot in good conscience remain in any role with this campaign, and I am stepping down from it effective immediately. The congressman should leave the race now so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, who was one of two U.S. senators who endorsed Swalwell, said he was rescinding his support.
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“Women who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed,” he wrote in a social media post. “I regret having come to his defense on social media prior to knowing all the information. I am equally as shocked and upset about what has transpired. I am withdrawing my endorsement of Congressman Swalwell, effective immediately.”
Swalwell is a leading candidate in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, neck-and-neck in recent polling with the other four leading candidates: former Rep. Katie Porter and billionaire Tom Steyer, both Democrats, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton, both Republicans.
Before the Chronicle’s story published, Swalwell had been endorsed by 24 other members of Congress, including Gallego and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California. Fourteen members of the state Legislature supported him. A host of powerful labor unions, including SEIU and the California Teachers Association, also backed his candidacy.
California Teachers Association President David Goldberg said his organization was dropping its endorsement.
Gubernatorial candidates, from left to right, Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa and Betty Yee participate in a debate presented by the Black Action Alliance at The Bayview Opera House in San Francisco on Feb. 3, 2026.
Nhat V. Meyer/TNS
“The allegations are incredibly disturbing and unacceptable,” he wrote in a statement. “We are immediately suspending our support.”
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Former Assembly Member Ian Calderon, who had also run for governor but dropped out and endorsed Swalwell, also called on him to suspend his campaign.
“The allegations against Eric Swalwell are deeply disturbing and troubling. My thoughts are with anyone affected, and I unequivocally support all survivors seeking justice and accountability,” he wrote on social media. “Eric Swalwell must immediately suspend his campaign and resign from Congress.”
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, one of Swalwell’s opponents in the race, wrote that he believed the woman who told the Chronicle that Swalwell had assaulted her twice.
“To the Democratic Party — you’d better hold him accountable. If we don’t, we have no credibility asking anyone else to do the same,” Mahan wrote on social media. “To @ericswalwell — drop out.”
California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks called the allegations against Swalwell “deeply disturbing.” He did not call on Swalwell to drop out, but reiterated his previous calls for all of the Democrats in the crowded race to “honestly assess the viability of their candidacy.”
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Swalwell’s Republican rivals also railed on him as they campaigned for votes among the red-hat wearing faithful attending the three-day California Republican Party convention that began Friday in San Diego.
Political operatives were buzzing about the Chronicle story moments after it published. Two Republicans — former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — lead most polls, raising concerns among Democrats that two Republicans could advance to the general election.
Sacramento data analyst Paul Mitchell, who has been running daily computer simulations of the race, said that President Donald Trump’s recent endorsement of Hilton increased the chances that Republicans will coalesce around Hilton, enabling a Democrat to advance to November. If Swalwell were to leave the race, Mitchell said “the odds go to it being more likely” that the the November election is between Democrats Tom Steyer and former Rep. Katie Porter than Bianco versus Hilton.
Hilton told the Chronicle Friday that “it’s absolutely shocking that he thought he could run for governor with this kind of thing out there. It shows the contempt that these career politicians have for the public that they think they can get away with anything.”
Bianco said Friday that as “a dad and as a cop, there is no girl that is going to come out with allegations like that if there was not some or all truth to it.”
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Asked if he thought Swalwell should leave the race, Bianco said, “Do I think he should? I absolutely do think he should. Is he going to? No. Because the ego and the power of what these people do this for is too much for them to give up. He is in a position of power over these women, and he’s not going to give that up.”
Hilton said “I don’t care. I truly don’t care” if Swalwell leaves the race. “I think the way he’s responding is an aggressive denial. These allegations need to be fully investigated. It seems to be that his position is untenable.”
California Republican Party chair Corrin Rankin took a more measured view. “Any allegation of sexual assault is serious and should be fully and fairly examined, and the people of California deserve the truth and accountability without political spin,” she said.