Attorney Eric Swalwell, the Democratic front-runner in the California governor's race, is accused of sexual harassment by a former employee in a report published Friday.
The woman said she and the Northern California congressman had a sometimes consensual relationship, but he sexually assaulted her twice when she was too late to confess, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.
The woman was 21 years old when she started working for the congressman, who has passed her for almost twenty years, and said that she did not report the incidents to the police because she was afraid that they would not be believed.
“I have no skin in the game of who will be the governor of California, but I feel that people have the right to know that someone who leads a country that is a safe place for many women really treats them with dignity and will protect their rights,” the woman, who was not identified because she is accused of being a victim of sexual harassment, told the Chronicle. “No one protected me from him, so I have to protect other young women like me who wish to work in this industry and can hold their own.”
Swalwell on Friday dismissed the allegations.
“These allegations are false and come before the election that will face the candidates,” he said in a statement. “For almost 20 years, I have served the public – as a prosecutor and a member of congress and I have always defended women. I will defend myself with the facts and when necessary bring legal action. In the coming days my focus is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”
State Supt. Tony Thurmond and San José Mayor Matt Mahan, the other Democrats running for governor, immediately asked Swalwell to drop out of the race.
For weeks, allegations of inappropriate behavior by the congressman have been circulating on social media and in political circles. On Thursday, an attorney representing Swalwell sent a cease-and-desist letter to the person demanding that he stop accusing the congressman of sexual harassment.
Two days earlier, the congressman slammed online allegations that he had inappropriate relationships with young congressmen.
“It's a lie,” he told reporters after a town hall in Sacramento, saying he had never misbehaved with a female employee or had a sexual relationship with a staff member or student. He also denied allegations that his employees were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements or go to court.
The allegations of misconduct come at an important time in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom. The primary is June 2, but ballots will start arriving in voters' mailboxes in less than a month.
The state's largest leadership race is still up for grabs, as eight prominent Democrats and two top Republicans battle to finish first or second in the primary and advance to the November election.
Swalwell, 45, is among the leading Democrats. He received the support of about 13% of voters in a recent UC Berkeley poll sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. That puts her in a tie for first place between Democrats and former Orange County attorney Katie Porter, with billionaire Tom Steyer not far behind.
Swalwell won the support of powerful unions, including the California Teachers Assn., and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and many of his Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives.
CTA President David Goldberg called the allegations “incredibly disturbing and unacceptable.”
“We are immediately suspending our support. Our elected board will meet immediately to follow the union's democratic process to determine next steps.”
Rusty Hicks, chairman of the California Democratic Party, said the victims must be believed and reiterated his call for the Democratic Alliance candidates to examine their performance.
“The allegations against Congressman Swalwell are very disturbing,” he said in a statement. “Anyone who engages in misconduct must be held accountable and accountable for their actions – including a Member of Congress and a candidate for Governor. Finally, my plea to all – again, all – candidates for Governor to 'examine the effectiveness of their election and their campaign' remains. In fact, that call is more important now than ever.”
Concerns began to mount among Democrats before the allegations were published Friday.
The woman told the Chronicle that she was hired in 2019 to work at the Swalwell district office in Castro Valley at the age of 21. She quickly started stalking him, sending messages and then taking nude photos on Snapchat.
In September of that year, he said he had been drinking with the congressman, blacked out and felt the effects of sex when he woke up naked in Swalwell's hotel bed, according to the report. In 2024, when he no longer works at Swalwell, he said he went to an event honoring the congressman and others and met him for drinks afterwards. She was drunk, but remembered that Swalwell forced himself on her and pushed her away and said, “No,” according to the Chronicle.
The Chronicle confirmed his report with texts he sent to a friend at the time and interviews with a friend and the woman's then-boyfriend. Chronicle reporters also reviewed medical records about pregnancy and STD documentation in the week after the alleged assault. He told them that he had kept quiet about the alleged assault because he was afraid of the professional and personal consequences.
Cheyenne Hunt, a Laguna Hills attorney and executive director of the progressive advocacy group, and social media influencer Arielle Fodor, known online as Mrs. Frazzled, are among those who publicized the allegations online. Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who had split with Swalwell in the past, expanded the allegations on social media as well.
The Times has not independently verified reports of misconduct.
Many politicians have survived allegations of sexual misconduct, most notably President Trump, who was accused of rape before winning the White House in 2016; former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who admitted in the 2003 recall election that he behaved inappropriately during his film career, and Newsom, who admitted to having an affair with a married employee while mayor of San Francisco.
Swalwell, a former prosecutor, is married with three children. The man from Iowa ran for president temporarily in 2020. On Thursday, he canceled a city hall in Palm Desert, reportedly sick.
She has previously spoken out against sexism, most recently supporting women who told the New York Times they were abused by legendary farm labor organizer César Chavez.
“The women who come forward carry years of pain. It takes real courage to talk about that,” Swalwell tweeted last month. “Ana Murguia, Debra Rojas and Dolores Huerta speak clearly and forcefully. I stand with them and condemn all cases of sexual harassment.”
Congress also defended women who accused Brett Kavanaugh, then a nominee to serve on the US Supreme Court, of sexual misconduct in 2018.
“When many separate and independent cases look the same, soon the prosecutor starts to tell the court … that the arrows are pointing in the same direction and how likely it is that three or four women independently, who have never seen each other, have the same feeling with one person,” said MSNOW's Ari Melber in September 2018 during the Kavana hearing.
In Congress, Swalwell has been a prominent critic of President Trump, serving as the president's second impeachment manager and regularly mocking Trump on cable news shows.
In late March, the Washington Post reported that FBI Director Kash Patel may release documents related to the decade-long investigation into Swalwell's contacts with a suspected Chinese spy. Swalwell cut ties with Christine Fang, or Fang Fang, in 2015 after intelligence officials warned her and other members of Congress about Chinese efforts to infiltrate lawmakers' offices. Swalwell was not wrongly accused.
After news of the possible release of the files emerged, Swalwell accused Trump of trying to sway the presidential election and arming the federal government against his political enemies.
Swalwell's attorneys filed a cease-and-desist letter against Patel and the FBI. No documents have been released since Friday.
He was previously accused of housing fraud by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. Swalwell sued Pulte last week but dropped it this month.
In the presidential race, Swalwell was criticized by fellow Democrat Tom Steyer that he was not eligible to run for governor because he did not actually live in California. Earlier this year, a Sacramento County judge ruled against a similar claim made by a conservative filmmaker.
