Eric Swalwell has dramatically suspended his campaign for California governor after shocking claims he sexually assaulted multiple women.
The congressman admitted to “mistakes in judgement in the past” but issued another defiant rebuttal of the allegations leveled at him.
His gubernatorial opponents were quick to cheer at him steeping down, with Republican Steve Hilton and Democratic Mayor of San Jose Matt Mahan both blasting him for entering the race in the first place.
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) April 13, 2026I am suspending my campaign for Governor.
To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.
I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.
Swalwell’s reputation has been in free fall after four women on Friday accused him of sexual misconduct, including alleged rape.
One of the women, a former staffer, claimed he raped her when she was drunk and left her bruised and bleeding during an alleged 2024 attack in New York — sparking a probe from the Manhattan DA.
Another woman alleged she also awoke next to him in a hotel room after a drunken night out, adding he allegedly kissed her and touched her leg without consent.
Swalwell said on Sunday: “I am suspending my campaign for Governor. To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.”
He added: “I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.”
Democrats and Republicans celebrated the news he was suspending his campaign — after many turned their backs on him as soon as the twisted allegations emerged.
Republican candidate Hilton told The Post: “Of course Eric Swalwell had to drop out of the California governor race. The question is, why was he ever in it, knowing he had all this going on?
“It just shows you the disgusting arrogance of these career politicians: they have total contempt for the voters, assuming they can do whatever they want and get away with it.
“Even worse is the sickening hypocrisy of the Democrat elite in California. All those machine politicians and unions that endorsed Swalwell and threw money at him – they knew about his past.”
He added: “The Swalwell Stink is on the entire corrupt Democrat machine in California.”
Mahan said: “Eric Swalwell is done.” He continued: “He does not get any credit for doing less than the bare minimum.
“Exiting a race you should never have entered deserves no credit. It is an overdue acknowledgment of what the brave survivors who came forward already made clear: Eric Swalwell represented the worst of politics.”
Another runner, Katie Porter, reposted a column by a Bay Area newspaper calling for Democrats to back her. It said: “”Democrats can pull victory from the jaws of defeat by coalescing around Porter.”
Rusty Hicks, chair of the California Democratic Party, issued a statement to The Post saying Swalwell “has finally done the right thing by ending his campaign for Governor.”
He said: “Swalwell’s reprehensible actions confirmed he is unqualified and unfit to seek or hold public office in California.
“I hope that Swalwell is held accountable for his actions and the courageous victims and survivors who have come forward receive the justice they deserve.”
Swalwell’s name cannot be removed from the June 2 primary election ballot, so Hicks said he is calling on people to not vote for the congressman because “he is unfit for public office and receives as little support as possible at the ballot box.”
Hours before Swalwell pulled his campaign, Gavin Newsom told The Post: “As we continue to learn more, these allegations from multiple sources are deeply troubling and must be taken seriously.”
More legal trouble could also be on the way after the California Post reported on a complaint alleging he hired a Brazilian nanny under the table for a number of years.
That complaint was referred to the Department of Homeland Security for an investigation. Even before the accusations, Swalwell has been dogged by a number of issues.
He faced questions over his residency in California, where he claimed to rent out of a Livermore home. But the Post went and visited neighbors who said they couldn’t identify him.
Swalwell was also scrutinized for reports he repeatedly pitched his AI startup, Findraiser, to fellow House Democrats and political operatives through texts, emails and in-person outreach.
His finances were under heavy duress, tax records seem to indicate. Swalwell dipped into his retirement savings and postponed his tax payments.
He has also constantly used campaign funds to reimburse for child care, including during this governor’s race, state records show.
The ultimate blow, however, were the sexual allegations. Rumors about them swirled for a week before the Friday reports, when influencers on social media claimed they would be coming up.
Even back then, Swalwell projected confidence that those claims were all just political attacks. He said at a April 7 town hall that the rumors were “false.”
“There has never been an allegation and there has never been a settlement,” said Swalwell.
Yet his claims that he didn’t use any non-disclosure agreement — a reasoning given for why the victims haven’t come forward until now — were contradicted by reports of a staffer who shared they did use such agreements.
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