Swalwell Faces Sexual Misconduct Allegations, Manhattan DA Investigation Amid Governor Bid

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office confirmed Saturday it is investigating a sexual assault allegation against Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), the frontrunner in California's Democratic gubernatorial primary, one day after the San Francisco Chronicle published detailed accusations from a former congressional staffer who says Swalwell assaulted her twice over five years.

The primary accuser, an unnamed woman who worked in Swalwell's Castro Valley, California district office from 2019 to 2021, beginning when she was 21 years old, describes two separate non-consensual encounters. The first allegedly occurred in September 2019: she says Swalwell invited her for drinks, she blacked out, and woke up naked in his hotel bed, telling CNN she could "feel the effect of vaginal intercourse." The second allegedly took place in April 2024, after a New York City charity gala at which Swalwell was honored. She says she again became heavily inebriated and that Swalwell sexually assaulted her, leaving her "bruised and bleeding." She told CNN: "Yes, I said no. In the flash that I can recall, I was pushing him off of me saying no."

The 2024 allegation is corroborated by text messages, medical records documenting STD and pregnancy tests taken approximately one week after the incident, and accounts from two family members, a friend, and her then-boyfriend, all of whom say she disclosed the assault in the days immediately following. The Manhattan DA's office urged "survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division."

CNN separately identified three additional women: one who alleged Swalwell kissed her without consent in public, and two who alleged he sent them unsolicited explicit photos or videos via Snapchat. One of those women also alleged Swalwell asked her to perform oral sex on him in a parking lot.

Swalwell categorically denied all accusations. In a video posted Friday night, he called them "flat false," saying: "These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor. For nearly 20 years, I have served the public as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women." His attorney, Elias Dabaie, sent cease-and-desist letters to the primary accuser and at least one other woman, threatening defamation suits and calling the allegations "baseless."

The political collapse was rapid. At least four senior campaign staffers resigned, including senior adviser Courtni Pugh, Swalwell's top liaison to organized labor, who told CNN she left "as soon as I learned the seriousness of the allegations." Campaign chair Rep. Jimmy Gomez also stepped down. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark, and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar issued a joint statement calling the accusations "incredibly disturbing" and demanding Swalwell "immediately end his campaign." Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, a fellow Bay Area Democrat, similarly called for his withdrawal. Senators Adam Schiff and Ruben Gallego both withdrew their endorsements; Gallego said he "regretted" having earlier defended Swalwell and called what the congressman is accused of "indefensible." California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond went furthest, calling on Swalwell to resign not only from the governor's race but from his congressional seat entirely.

An Emerson College poll conducted March 7-9 had placed Swalwell atop the field with 17% support, ahead of Republican Steve Hilton at 13% and Democrat Tom Steyer at 11%, with 25% of voters undecided. California's nonpartisan jungle primary, scheduled for June 2, sends only the top two finishers to November regardless of party. Since the allegations broke, prediction markets shifted sharply: Steyer's odds of winning the governorship climbed to approximately 57% while Swalwell slid to fourth place. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) moved separately in Congress to oust Swalwell from the House entirely.

The Manhattan DA investigation now places the legal and political future of a 12-year congressman in the hands of prosecutors, with California voters weeks away from a primary that will determine who governs the nation's largest state.