Eric Swalwell suspends California gubernatorial campaign, says ‘deeply sorry for mistakes’ over misconduct allegations

Swalwell announced the suspension of his campaign and apologized in the X post. “To my family, staff, friends and supporters, I am deeply sorry for the errors of judgment I have made in the past,” he wrote.

Swalwell further vowed to fight “serious, false accusations.”

“I am suspending my campaign for governor… I will fight the serious, false accusations that have been made – but this is my fight, not the campaign’s,” he wrote.

The decision came after days of intense scrutiny after multiple women accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct. Multiple media outlets, citing reports from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle, detailed allegations from at least four women, including a former staffer who was accused of sexual assault.

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Key supporters such as campaign chairman Rep. Jimmy Gomez, Sen. Ruben Gallego and Adam Schiffwithdrew its support immediately after the allegations surfaced.

It’s unclear whether Swalwell will remain in the U.S. House until his term ends in January. Congress has also begun discussing potential disciplinary measures, including a possible vote on expulsion, NBC News reported.

“Rep. Eric Swalwell needs to step down. We should not tolerate this behavior,” Virginia Rep. Eugene Vindman said in an interview with CNN.

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On Saturday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced it was investigating allegations that Swalwell sexually assaulted a victim in New York City in April 2024.

Additional reports from NBC News detailed accusations that the congressman allegedly sent explicit messages and engaged in inappropriate behavior toward two women, one of whom was influencer Ally Sammarco.

Despite the accusations, Swalwell has maintained his innocence and described the charges as politically motivated. He said in a video uploaded late Friday that the sexual assault allegations against him were “completely false.”

He added, “I am not in any way suggesting to you that I am perfect, or that I am a saint. I have certainly made errors of judgment in the past, but they were errors between me and my wife, and to her, I am deeply sorry for putting her in this situation.”