Ex-staffer accuses Eric Swalwell of sexual assault, upending governor’s race

Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate to succeed outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom, allegedly sexually assaulted a staff member in 2019, according to a report published Friday by the San Francisco Chronicle.

A former staffer claims Swalwell, D-Dublin, sexually assaulted her twice while she was too intoxicated to consent, charges Swalwell denied.

“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor,” Swalwell said in a statement sent to reporters. “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.”

On Thursday night, Swalwell’s attorney, Elias Dabaie, sent a cease and desist letter to the woman threatening a lawsuit if she continued to make “false statements accusing Mr. Swalwell of sexual assault and nonconsensual sexual encounters,” according to the Chronicle.

Swalwell previously positioned himself as an advocate for sexual assault victims after President Donald Trump and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh were credibly accused of sexual assault or, in Trump’s case, found liable for sexual abuse.

The allegations quickly reverberated through the governor’s race, where some polls showed Swalwell with a lead among Democrats.

Calls to drop out and campaign chair resigns

Five Democratic candidates in the race immediately called for Swalwell to drop out: billionaire Tom Steyer, former Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former State Controller Betty Yee, and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who also told him to resign from Congress. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, echoed that call, while another GOP candidate, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, said it was “incredible to me that Eric Swalwell thought he could run for governor of California while all this was going on.”

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, stepped down as Swalwell’s campaign chair and urged him to drop out, as did Sen. Adam Schiff, arguably Swalwell’s highest-profile endorsement. Swalwell’s friend and congressional ally, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, also suspended his endorsement, saying he was “shocked and upset” at the allegations and “regretted having came to his defense on social media prior to knowing all the information.”

California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks called the accusations “deeply disturbing” and reiterated his calls for the field’s eight candidates to assess the viability of their campaigns ahead of the June 2 primary.

With no clear frontrunner in the governor’s race, Hicks and other top Democrats have expressed concerns that two Republicans could emerge from the top-two primary, locking Democrats out of the general election.

Swalwell’s campaign has shown signs of momentum. Before the Chronicle’s report, he had consolidated support from some of the most powerful labor unions and elected officials in California politics like the California Teachers Association, SEIU California, the California Labor Federation, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, and more than two dozen of members of Congress.

CTA President David Goldberg said the union had “immediately” suspended its endorsement of Swalwell, calling the allegations “incredibly disturbing and unacceptable” and saying CTA’s elected board would meet to determine next steps. The Labor Federation posted on X that its members were “shocked” and was “acting urgently” to revisit its endorsement of Swalwell.

Prediction markets showed a sharp dropoff in users’ confidence that Swalwell would win the race; both markets showed Steyer as the leading candidate Friday afternoon, reversing the commanding lead Swalwell held for months.

The reported allegations

The unnamed woman told the Chronicle Swalwell pursued her almost as soon as she started working for him at age 21 at his district office in Castro Valley. Swalwell was 38 at the time and married.

She alleged Swalwell sent her nude pictures of his genitals on Snapchat and attempted to kiss her.On another occasion, he allegedly pulled out his penis in a car and asked her to perform oral sex on him; she told the Chronicle she did so.

The woman alleges Swalwell first sexually assaulted her in September 2019, when she was severely intoxicated after a night of drinking with him and woke up in a hotel room with vaginal pain and other signs they’d had intercourse.

She alleged a second assault occurred five years later, after the two got drinks following a charity gala. The woman told the Chronicle she was very intoxicated and only remembered portions of the night, including telling him “no” and pushing him away when he allegedly forced himself on top of her.

The woman reportedly texted a friend three days later that she’d been “sexually assaulted” by Swalwell. The Chronicle spoke to an ex-boyfriend and a friend of the woman who confirmed she’d spoken to them about being assaulted; the ex-boyfriend said he encouraged her to report the incident to police, but she declined out of fears they wouldn’t believe her.

This story was originally published April 10, 2026 at 2:07 PM.