Eric Swalwell Suspends Campaign for California Governor: ‘Deeply Sorry'
Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell of California announced Sunday evening that he is suspending his campaign for California governor, saying that addressing various allegations raised against him is “my fight, not a campaign’s.”
“I am suspending my campaign for Governor,” Swalwell wrote in a post on X. “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,” he added.
Allegations of sexual assault and sexually inappropriate behavior were levied against Swalwell, which led to increasing pressure from members of his party to exit the race. Swalwell has strongly denied the allegations, and on Friday night released a video on X stressing his denial of any misconduct.
He acknowledged unspecified "mistakes in judgment" in his personal life but said those were private matters between him and his wife-not related to the allegations.
Four women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct, that include a sexual assault allegations from a former staffer who said she experienced two non‑consensual encounters. She said one occurred in 2019 while she worked in his district office, and another in 2024 after she had left his staff.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office announced Saturday it has opened an investigation into Swalwell over the alleged 2024 sexual assault that happened in New York.
Swalwell had been among the leading Democrats vying to succeed outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom-and one of the frontrunners in a crowded field whose collapse could have broader implications for the party’s chances in November.
California has not elected a Republican governor since 2006, and no GOP candidate has come close in more than a decade.
This is a breaking news story. Updates will follow.
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This story was originally published April 12, 2026 at 9:00 PM.