Several Democrat lawmakers announced they were withdrawing endorsements of Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman who used to work for him.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) revealed that after reading a report from the San Francisco Chronicle, in which an un-named woman alleged that Swalwell, who is running in California’s gubernatorial election, had sexually assaulted her in two separate instances, they were withdrawing their endorsements.
The woman, who began working for Swalwell when she was 21-years-old, claimed to the San Francisco Chronicle that Swalwell “began pursuing” her and would allegedly send her “images of his genitals,” and also asked her to send “nude pictures” of herself.
In one instance in September 2019, after having drinks with Swalwell and becoming “so severely intoxicated that she does not remember the rest of the night,” the woman claims she “woke up naked in Swalwell’s hotel bed and could feel the effect of vaginal intercourse.”
In another instance, in April 2024, the woman met “for drinks” with Swalwell, after a charity gala event, and says she remembers “pushing Swalwell away and telling him, ‘No.’”:
She said Swalwell, who is married and 17 years her senior, tried to kiss her in her car when she drove him home from a donor meeting one night. Driving him to another event weeks later, she said Swalwell pulled out his penis in the car and asked her to perform oral sex on him. She said she did so in a parking lot.
In September 2019, the woman said, Swalwell invited her out for drinks and she became so severely intoxicated that she does not remember the rest of the night. She said she woke up naked in Swalwell’s hotel bed and could feel the effect of vaginal intercourse. She said Swalwell distanced himself from her afterward and the relationship faded.
Five years later, the woman said, she attended an April 2024 charity gala where Swalwell was honored. The woman, who no longer worked for Swalwell, said they met for drinks afterward, 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.
“I have read the San Francisco Chronicle’s account and I am deeply distressed by its allegations,” Schiff wrote in a post on X. “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,” Schiff added
“I’ve read the San Francisco Chronicle’s reporting and I take it seriously,” Gallego wrote in a post. “What is described is indefensible. Women who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed.”
“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,” Gallego added. “I am withdrawing my endorsement of Congressman Swalwell, effective immediately.”
Former Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), who is also running to be the next governor of California, expressed that the allegations against Swalwell “are horrifying,” and that she was “thinking of the courageous women who have come forward.”
“The allegations against Congressman Swalwell are horrifying,” Porter wrote in a post on X. “I’m thinking of the courageous women who have come forward to share their stories. We believe you and we stand with you.”
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is also running for California governor on the Republican side, called for Swalwell to “not just resign from the governors race but resign from Congress.”
“First, my heart goes out to the victims of Eric Swalwell,” Bianco wrote in a post on X. “They deserve our compassion and prayers at this time. Second, Eric must not just resign from the governors race but resign from Congress.”
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