![\"Lonna](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/US-NEWS-SWALWELL-FILEPIC-LA.JPG\" "\\"Lonna")
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Lonna Drewes, left, shown with attorney Lisa Bloom, during a news briefing on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, detailed a 2018 encounter with Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. (Myung J. Chun\/Los Angeles Times\/TNS)<\/p>\n
Myung J. Chun<\/p>\n
TNS<\/p>\n
Gov. Gavin Newsom set an Aug. 18 special election for the U.S. House of Representatives seat left empty by Eric Swalwell\u2019s resignation in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct and rape.<\/p>\n
The August special election will be preceded by a June 16 primary, according to Newsom\u2019s spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Swalwell announced he would step down from his seat Monday afternoon, a day after abandoning his campaign to be California\u2019s next governor \u2014 a race in which he was increasingly emerging as the frontrunner of a crowded Democratic primary. His downfall came after The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN reported on allegations of an unidentified woman who said Swalwell had sexually assaulted her twice.<\/p>\n
Swalwell has rejected any allegations of criminal behavior, though in announcing his resignation from office the former congressman apologized for \u201cmistakes in judgment I\u2019ve made in my past.\u201d<\/p>\n
He made his resignation official in a letter to Newsom and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Other women have accused Swalwell of leveraging his political position to make unwanted sexual advances including sending unsolicited nude photographs and sexual texts. On Tuesday, just hours before Newsom\u2019s announcement, Beverley Hills resident Lonna Drewes accused Swalwell of drugging and raping her following a 2018 event.<\/p>\n
Swalwell\u2019s campaign for governor had already led to a competitive primary election for his seat ahead of November\u2019s midterm election. There are six Democrats, two Republicans and one person with no party preference in that race, according to the California Secretary of State\u2019s list of certified candidates.<\/p>\n
California law does not require Newsom to call an election when a vacancy occurs this late in an election year. But Swalwell\u2019s district is staunchly Democratic leaning, and Newsom\u2019s decision to call one is likely to quickly send a new Democratic representative to Washington D.C. Meanwhile, the resignation of Texas Republican Tony Gonzales, if he is not quickly replaced, could further wear down Republican\u2019s slim majority in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has the ability to quickly hold an emergency special election under that state\u2019s laws, according to reporting by Bloomberg Government<\/a>. But Republicans have struggled in elections, even in conservative-leaning ones like Gonzales\u2019s, during Trump\u2019s second term, making that party\u2019s hold on the seat slightly more tenuous than Democrats\u2019 hold on Swalwell\u2019s.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n