Representative Eric Swalwell of California faced accusations of sexual misconduct on Friday, prompting immediate calls for him to drop out of the governor’s race as key Democratic supporters abandoned him.
The San Francisco Chronicle published an account Friday from a woman who was not named but gave detailed descriptions of several sexual encounters she said she had with Mr. Swalwell, including two instances in which she said he had assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent.
Hours later, CNN published a report with four women accusing Mr. Swalwell of a range of misconduct, including a former staff member who appeared to be the same person in The Chronicle’s account. CNN’s report also described allegations from a Democratic activist who said Mr. Swalwell had touched her thigh and tried to kiss her in the booth of a bar before bringing her to his hotel room, and from two women who said he had sent them unsolicited photos of his penis.
Mr. Swalwell immediately denied the accusations and said later on Friday that he would continue to fight them.
“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor,” he said in his initial statement Friday. “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.”
The New York Times has not confirmed the accusations.
The allegations were already upending Mr. Swalwell’s campaign, with senior officials quitting and powerful interest groups retracting their endorsements. Representative Jimmy Gomez, a California Democrat who had been his campaign chairman, said he was stepping down immediately and called on Mr. Swalwell to withdraw from the race. Mr. Gomez called the accounts of misconduct the “the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable.”
“My involvement in any campaign begins and ends with trust,” Mr. Gomez said, adding that Mr. Swalwell should leave the race “so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay.”
The House minority leader, Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, as well as other Democratic leaders in Congress, asked Mr. Swalwell to drop out of the California governor’s race. They did not demand his resignation from the House but called for a swift investigation into the sexual assault allegations.
“This is unacceptable of anyone — certainly not an elected official — and must be taken seriously,” they said in a statement.
Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker who continues to wield tremendous influence over California politics, also indicated that she told Mr. Swalwell to drop out of the governor’s race.
Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who had been the most prominent state leader to have endorsed Mr. Swalwell, retracted his support and called on Mr. Swalwell to drop out.
Senator Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, pulled his endorsement as well. It was a significant withdrawal, as the men are close friends and Mr. Gallego often has attended Little League games with Mr. Swalwell’s children. The senator said he regretted that he had come to Mr. Swalwell’s defense in recent days before specific allegations were published.
“What is described is indefensible,” Mr. Gallego said. “Women who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed.”
In recent weeks, Mr. Swalwell had begun to harness support from labor unions and professional associations that hold sway in the State Capitol, and he was starting to separate himself in polls from other prominent Democrats as the primary, in June, drew closer. If he were to drop out, the race would be scrambled. Financial support from significant donors was quickly becoming up for grabs as major organizations withdrew their endorsements.
Mr. Swalwell is among eight prominent Democrats and two well-known Republicans competing in California’s nonpartisan primary to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who cannot run again because of term limits.
Among the candidates likeliest to benefit from the fallout would be Katie Porter — a Democrat who once represented an Orange County, Calif., district in Congress — and Tom Steyer, a billionaire who has courted union members and emphasized his progressive agenda.
Groups that had endorsed Mr. Swalwell’s campaign were scrambling to put together emergency meetings to reconsider next steps on Friday. One of the state’s most powerful labor unions, the California Teachers Association, quickly rescinded its endorsement.
“We withdraw all support,” David Goldberg, the group’s president, said in a statement. “The disturbing allegations by multiple women cannot be ignored.”
Another major labor union, Service Employees International Union California, which had put $5 million into an account to support Mr. Swalwell, announced that it had suspended its campaigning for him and would meet to discuss next steps. The state’s doctors’ lobby, the California Medical Association, was also rushing to discuss whether to withdraw its endorsement of Mr. Swalwell.
An independent committee that had raised $7.7 million from the medical association, Uber and other donors to run ads supporting Mr. Swalwell suspended its campaign activity Friday.
Mr. Swalwell, who is married and has three young children, was elected to Congress in 2012 after challenging an 80-year-old Democratic incumbent in a campaign that highlighted generational change. He represents a suburban district east of San Francisco, and is known for a punchy social media presence and frequent appearances on cable news programs.
In a video released Friday night, Mr. Swalwell insisted the sexual assault allegations were false but apologized to his wife.
“I do not suggest to you in any way that I’m perfect or that I’m a saint,” he said. “I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife and to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position.”
Late Thursday night, a lawyer for Mr. Swalwell sent cease-and-desist letters to women who had made accusations against him, threatening to sue them for defamation if they allowed their claims to be published. Those letters were sent after CNN and The Chronicle approached Mr. Swalwell’s campaign with specific allegations, the outlets said.
“We learned from press outlets that there are multiple allegations made against the congressman. We believe those allegations are baseless and continue to seek the truth,” Elias Dabaie, Mr. Swalwell’s lawyer, said in an email to The Times. “We also want to understand why these allegations would suddenly arise on the eve on an election against the front-runner in what appears to be a coordinated effort to undermine his candidacy.”
The accusations against Mr. Swalwell, who briefly ran for president in 2019, were the first specific claims to emerge after speculation had circulated online for weeks.
At first, Mr. Swalwell ignored social media posts from two liberal influencers who said that they had spoken with women who had experienced or had knowledge of sexual misconduct by the congressman. The posts did not include any specific claims.
But this week — before The Chronicle and CNN reports were published — he forcefully denied ever having had inappropriate relationships with female staffers. He also denied the existence of nondisclosure agreements, which the social media posts had said was a reason that victims were reluctant to come forward.
“It’s false,” he said Tuesday, as he answered questions from reporters at a campaign event in Sacramento. “There’s never been an allegation, and there’s never been a settlement.”
With ballots being mailed to voters in less than a month for the election, Mr. Swalwell on Tuesday chalked up the allegations as the kind of dirty politics that play out when campaign season heats up. He said he was addressing the unfounded rumors because “I don’t want there to be any question in the minds of Californians.”
Madison Malone Kircher, Emily Cochrane, Reid J. Epstein, Theodore Schleifer and Jill Cowan contributed reporting. Julie Tate contributed research.
Laurel Rosenhall is a Sacramento-based reporter covering California politics and government for The Times.
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