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Multiple Women Accuse Rep. Eric Swalwell Of Sexual Assault, Misconduct
The top contender for California governor flatly denied the allegations as fellow Democrats called for him to drop out of the race.
Multiple Women Accuse Rep. Eric Swalwell Of Sexual Assault, Misconduct
The top contender for California governor flatly denied the allegations as fellow Democrats called for him to drop out of the race.Multiple women accused Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), one of the top contenders to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, of sexual assault and misconduct in two bombshell reports Friday.
The San Francisco Chronicle was the first to report on allegations from a former female staffer who said Swalwell engaged in sexual encounters with her while he was her boss and that, on two occasions, he sexually assaulted her while she was too drunk to consent.
The unnamed woman said Swalwell pursued her just weeks after she was hired to work in one of his California offices in 2019, when she was 21, and that he messaged her pictures of his genitals on Snapchat and sought nude photos of her in return. Shortly after the Chronicle’s story dropped, CNN published extremely detailed accusations from three more women who’d connected with Swalwell on social media. The network also detailed accusations from a fourth woman, a former staffer, who appears to be the same accuser featured in the Chronicle’s reporting. The allegations rocked Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign, with strategic adviser Courtni Pugh resigning, along with at least four other departures, Politico reports. The California Teachers Association and other key supporters also said they were withdrawing their endorsements. Swalwell, who is 45 and married with three children, flatly denied the allegations. “These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor. For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women,” his campaign said in a 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 former staffer provided detailed accounts of her allegations against Swalwell, telling the Chronicle that in 2019, she blacked out after the lawmaker invited her out for drinks. She alleges she woke up naked in his hotel bed and “could feel the effect of vaginal intercourse.” On another alleged occasion, the staffer says Swalwell tried to kiss her when she was driving him home from a meeting. Another time, the staffer said she performed oral sex on Swalwell in a parking lot after he pulled out his penis and asked her to engage in the act. In 2024, after she was no longer working for Swalwell, the staffer says she encountered him at a charity gala and that he forced himself on her when she was drunk. In texts to a friend after the alleged incident, which were reviewed by the Chronicle, Swalwell’s accuser said she “woke up once during it and even told him to stop at one point.” The accuser received a cease-and-desist letter from an attorney for Swalwell on Thursday after the Chronicle contacted him for comment, the newspaper reported. One of the accusers who spoke to CNN is Democratic strategist and social media personality Ally Sammarco, who said she had received unsolicited nude messages from Swalwell when she connected with him on social media. Another woman told the network that she found herself intoxicated in Swalwell’s hotel room with little memory of the evening. She said the lawmaker had nonconsensually kissed her and touched her leg in a bar earlier that night. A different woman reported a very similar experience, saying she had connected with Swalwell on Instagram in 2025 and that he sent her his phone number. She said she later met with him in person and that he touched her leg and kissed her nonconsensually and ordered her a drink. She says she later found herself in his hotel room with no memory of how she got there, and that what happened in the room is “a blur.” Democrats swiftly began calling on Swalwell, who’s served in Congress since 2013, to end his campaign Friday. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a fellow California Democrat who was co-chairing Swalwell’s campaign, called the woman’s descriptions of the alleged encounters “the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable” and said he would resign from the campaign.
“I cannot in good conscience remain in any role with this campaign, and I am stepping down from it effective immediately,” he said in a statement. “The congressman should leave the race now so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay.” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) also withdrew his support for Swalwell. “I have read the San Francisco Chronicle’s account and I am deeply distressed by its allegations,” he said. “This woman was brave to come forward, and we should take her story seriously. I am withdrawing my endorsement immediately, and believe that he should withdraw from the race.” The serious allegations are expected to trigger a major shakeup in the California gubernatorial primary. Among the crowded pool of Democrats running, Swalwell has been leading alongside Rep. Katie Porter and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer. Party leadership has been calling on low-polling Democrats to drop out of the open primary, letting support coalesce behind higher-polling Democrats to avoid Republicans finishing in the top two and edging Democrats out of the general election.
