His campaign to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom has all but collapsed as key Democratic supporters, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Adam Schiff, abandon him.
“To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell wrote on social media Sunday.”
“I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.”
House ethics rules bar members from having sex with a subordinate, and House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries from New York is seeking an investigation into the allegations.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) announced plans to force a House vote to expel Swalwell, a motion supported by some House Democrats. Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat representing Northern California, is among those calling on him to resign.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office opened an investigation into sexual assault allegations against Swalwell by the former staffer, and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office on Saturday said the office was in the process of evaluating “whether any alleged criminal conduct occurred” in the agency’s Bay Area jurisdiction.
The 45-year-old Democratic candidate established himself as a frontrunner in the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, despite not having a broad base of supporters in California.
A one-time member of the House Intelligence Committee and a savvy social-media user, Swalwell relished his role as a foil to President Donald Trump, using his many platforms to attack and taunt the twice-impeached, criminally convicted president.
He previously worked as a criminal prosecutor, and was elected to Congress in 2012 after he defeated Rep. Pete Stark, a fellow Democrat.
He cast himself as a centrist middle-class guy and featured his wife and three young children prominently in his campaign for governor. In an interview with the Times last year, he talked about his decision to continue in politics, despite the toll on his family.
Reports published in the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN offered a stark contrast to Swalwell’s wholesome image, alleging that he forced himself on a young staffer and sent women pictures of his penis and sexy messages.
CNN also reported on another woman’s alleged account of a sexual encounter with Swalwell that involved fending off his advances over drinks, and then waking up in his hotel room with no memory of how she got there.
Swalwell and his team threatened legal action against several individuals, Swalwell’s attorney Elias Dabaie confirmed to the Times. Swalwell himself took to social media on Friday night and called the allegations “lies” intended to hurt him in the race.
But campaign staffers resigned, his fundraising website went offline and even his self-described “best friend” in Congress, Sen. Ruben Gallegos from Arizona, withdrew his endorsement. Powerful labor groups, including the California Labor Federation, SEIU California and the California Police Chiefs Assn., withdrew their support.
Other Democrats in the race include billionaire Tom Steyer; former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter; State Supt. Tony Thurmond; former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra,; San José Mayor Matt Mahan; former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and former state Controller Betty Yee.
The top GOP gubernatorial candidates are Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
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