- Eric Swalwell suspended his California governor campaign amid sexual assault allegations.
- Swalwell denies allegations, calling them false, and vows to fight them.
NEW YORK — Rep. Eric Swalwell on Sunday said he was suspending his campaign for governor of California, as he faces calls from fellow Democratic lawmakers and dozens of his former staffers to leave Congress following accusations of sexual assault.
"To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past," Swalwell wrote in a post on X, without elaborating. "I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that's my fight, not a campaign's."
The post did not address the calls for him to leave Congress. Swalwell's congressional office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Swalwell, who had been a front-runner for the governorship of the U.S.' most populous state, ended his campaign two days after the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN reported that a woman who previously worked in Swalwell's district office accused him of two nonconsensual sexual encounters.
CNN also reported that three other women made sexual misconduct allegations against Swalwell, who represents a California district and has been in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013.
Swalwell has denied the accusations as "absolutely false" and vowed to fight them.
In separate TV interviews on Sunday morning talk shows, Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna and Eugene Vindman each said Swalwell should quit Congress. An open letter released later on Sunday and signed by more than 50 of Swalwell's ex-staffers also called on him to resign from Congress and drop out of the California gubernatorial race, calling the allegations serious and credible.
"Remaining in either role while these allegations hang unresolved is an insult to every person who has ever worked for him," the former staffers wrote in the letter published by several U.S. media outlets.
Under California law, the top two finishers in the June 2 open primary contest will advance to November's election, regardless of their party affiliation. Other Democratic candidates include former Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.
