Pelosi Calls on Swalwell to Exit Governor's Race After Damaging Reports

Nancy Pelosi delivered the most consequential blow to Rep. Eric Swalwell's California gubernatorial campaign, personally telling the East Bay congressman that an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him must be conducted "outside of a gubernatorial campaign." The former House speaker's directive landed as a cascade of withdrawn endorsements, departed staff, and frozen fundraising transformed a once-competitive candidacy into a political crisis within hours.

"The young woman who has made serious allegations against Congressman Swalwell must be respected and heard," Pelosi said in a statement, adding: "As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign."

The pressure came after four women accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct in reports from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle, including a former staffer who alleged he raped her. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the former staffer, who joined his office at age 21, alleged Swalwell pressed himself against her sexually and had sex with her twice while she was too intoxicated to consent. The newspaper reviewed text messages related to the alleged 2024 assault and spoke to people the woman had told about it.

Swalwell flatly denied every allegation. "These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor," he said, adding that for nearly 20 years he had "served the public as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women." In a video posted to social media, he called the accusations "flat false" and threatened legal action against the women. He did not directly address the status of his campaign, saying instead that he planned to spend the weekend with family.

The calls for his exit extended well beyond Pelosi. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, alongside Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, released a joint statement calling for "a swift investigation" and demanding Swalwell "immediately end his campaign." California Sen. Adam Schiff, a longtime ally, said he was withdrawing his endorsement "immediately" and that Swalwell should withdraw from the race, while Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego also pulled his endorsement. California Sen. Alex Padilla cited "the gravity of these claims" in calling on Swalwell to step aside, and billionaire gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer declared that Swalwell "should be nowhere near any position of power, much less be the governor of California" and demanded he resign from Congress as well.

The departures inside the campaign were equally swift. Campaign co-chair Rep. Jimmy Gomez announced he was quitting the position, saying "the congressman should leave the race now so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay." Top labor adviser Courtni Pugh also left the campaign, and ActBlue, the dominant Democratic online fundraising platform, froze donations to his campaign. A major independent expenditure committee, Californians for a Fighter, which had raised $2 million from Uber and $1 million from businessman Stephen Cloobeck, suspended its activities immediately. The California Service Employees International Union and the California Teachers Association also suspended their support.

The June 2 nonpartisan primary will advance only the top two finishers, regardless of party, to a November 3 general election. The race to succeed the term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom features a half-dozen prominent Democrats and two leading Republicans. Swalwell had been considered a front-runner alongside former Rep. Katie Porter and Steyer. He formally entered the governor's race in November 2025.

Withdrawing at this stage would not remove Swalwell's name from ballots already being printed for the June primary, leaving voters who cast early ballots unable to redirect their support. Any formal exit would, however, allow the institutional infrastructure now aligned against him, from union endorsements to party committee support, to consolidate rapidly around remaining candidates before voting begins in earnest.