California’s gubernatorial race has been rocked by serious allegations against . The San Francisco Chronicle, in an exclusive article on Friday, reported that a former congressional staffer claimed that the Democrat sexually assaulted her – listing two separate non-consensual encounters. According to the report, the incidents date back to 2019, when the woman was 21 and working in his district office in Castro Valley.
Now Swalwell is facing potential action. Several California lawmakers are calling for him to pull out of the gubernatorial race.
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‘Eric Swalwell should resign’
Calls for Swalwell to exit the race have intensified, with rivals including Tony Thurmond, Betty Yee and Matt Mahan urging him to step aside. Inside his own campaign, senior staffer Courtni Pugh resigned Friday, while Jimmy Gomez also withdrew his involvement, describing the accusations as ‘ugly and serious’.
Democratic commentator Ally Sammarco also demanded action. She reposted a tweet readin: “Eric Swallwell should resign from Congress. I don’t want anyone like that near the Democratic Party.”
Allegations against Eric Swalwell
The controversy stems from a report by the Chronicle, which detailed allegations from the former congressional staffer.
“Swalwell messaged her on Snapchat, she said, sending images of his genitals and seeking nude pictures of her in return,” the newspaper reported.
The accuser alleges that during the same year, Swalwell ‘tried to kiss her in her car when she drove him home’ from a donor event and asked her to perform a sexual act, which she said she did.
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She also told the publication that during a separate outing, she became heavily intoxicated and later woke up naked in a hotel room with the congressman, believing they had sex.
The report further claims a later encounter occurred roughly five years afterward, when the woman, no longer employed by Swalwell, met him again at a charity event.
“…they met for drinks…” the woman said, “…during which she became so inebriated that she only remembers snippets of the night including pushing Swalwell away and telling him, ‘No,’ while he allegedly forced himself on her.”
Eric Swalwell responds
Swalwell has denied the accusations. When asked directly, “Did you ever behave inappropriately with female staffers?” he responded, “No, no, it’s false.”
In a longer statement issued Friday, he reiterated his position:
“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. 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.”
