With staffers fleeing and allies gone, the congressman’s crisis gives the opposing party a welcome distraction from Iran, the economy, and an unpopular president.
Republicans in Washington are moving quickly to capitalize on the sexual assault and rape allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell. One Florida congresswoman, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, said Saturday (opens in new tab) that she would file a motion to expel him from Congress.
Since the story broke Friday, the party’s campaign arm, its most aggressive members, and outside strategists have been formulating a response against the California Democrat, who is running to be the state’s next governor.
“Eric Swalwell’s demise is a golden opportunity for Republicans,” said Keith Schipper, a veteran Republican strategist.
“He positioned himself early on as one of the Democrats’ lead antagonists against the president with frequent TV appearances and congressional grandstanding. Now we get to use his disturbing behavior to remind voters who exactly will lead the Democratic Party and Congress if they regain power in November.”
On Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN both reported accounts of nonconsensual sexual conduct between Swalwell and at least four women.
Swalwell has
deniedany wrongdoing even as his gubernatorial campaign experienced an exodus of key staffers and former supporters, and interest groups have called for Swalwell to drop out of the gubernatorial race.
Even prominent allies like now-Sen. Ruben Gallego, the Arizona Democrat who chaired Swalwell’s longshot presidential campaign in 2020 and influential labor unions have dropped their support.
For their part, Democrats can see their political opponents ready to pounce.
“Republicans are desperate for anything to take the headlines away from Trump’s war with Iran and rising costs,” a veteran party strategist told The Standard under condition of anonymity.
“This will give them the fodder they need. Swalwell should recognize that he’s going to become a welcome distraction for the GOP to weaponize.”
For Republicans, the rush by Democrats to denounce or distance themselves from the congressman is a welcome change from topics like the war in Iran, the economy, or an unpopular president — all of which have put the party on the defensive.
Congress will return from its recess on Tuesday. When it does, GOP members in Washington are already signaling they seize the moment of Swalwell’s political demise.
House Republicans’ campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee, told The Standard it is “closely tracking” Democratic candidates who have “accepted contributions from Swalwell and have any other connections.”
“If Democrats had any standards left, this would be an easy call,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement.
“But when it’s one of their own, accountability gets buried faster than the story. Every single vulnerable House Democrat must return the filthy creep cash or own the rot they’re protecting.”
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It’s unclear if the House Ethics Committee will open an investigation into Swalwell. The allegations against him make him the latest in a group of current members facing both serious accusations of wrongdoing and possible expulsion.
Two House Republicans — Rep. Cory Mills, of Florida, and Rep. Tony Gonzales, of Texas — are
currently (opens in new tab)being
investigated (opens in new tab)by the House Ethics Committee, both over allegations of sexual misconduct, among other purported wrongdoing.
Additionally, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Florida Democrat, was
indicted (opens in new tab)last year on federal criminal charges involving an alleged misuse of campaign funds. She remains in Congress.
Historically, expulsion from the House of Representatives has been exceedingly rare.
In the entire history of the United States, only six people have been booted from the lower legislative chamber. The most recent was George Santos, a New York Republican who misused campaign funds and was expelled from his seat in 2023.