Katie Porter has the most to gain from Eric Swalwell’s exit from the California gubernatorial race amid sexual misconduct allegations, but the fellow Democrat has stayed away from the backstory of Eric Swalwell’s major revelations. Swalwell’s campaign insisted for days that it denied all the accusations, calling them false and outrageous, before deciding to withdraw from the race. Cheyenne Hunt, an attorney and former California congressional candidate, announced last week that she has been working with women who are coming forward to share their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse at the hands of Eric Swalwell himself. After Swalwell dropped out of the race, the long-standing relationship between Hunter and Katie Porter is now public because Hunter attended the same law school where Katie Porter taught. CBS News reported that Hunter enrolled in law school at the University of California, Irvine, in the fall of 2018, when Porter was running for Congress. Porter continued to live in on-campus housing during her sabbatical from faculty while serving in Congress. While Porter was in the House, Hunter interned for a Democratic senator on Capitol Hill. In 2021, Porter delivered the commencement address at Hunter’s commencement, showing how their paths crossed many times. When Hunter ran for an Orange County congressional seat, she posted a photo with Porter on social media, calling her a trailblazer.
There is no relationship at all
A spokesperson for Katie Porter’s campaign told CBS News they don’t have any relationship to talk about. “In fact, Katie endorsed another candidate while running in a neighboring district,” the spokesperson said. Katie Porter said: “I haven’t spoken to any women who have said they want to come forward… Our focus should be on protecting these victims and if they are victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, we should make sure they feel safe and comfortable to speak out.”
Eric Swalwell’s second major controversy
The sexual misconduct allegations that led Swalwell to abandon his gubernatorial bid remain the second major controversy, as the first will always be his alleged ties to Chinese spies. Fangfang, a Chinese woman believed to be a spy, came into contact with several politicians, including Swalwell. Fang left the United States sometime in 2015.