Swalwell’s California governor bid gained momentum before assault allegations emerged

Eric Swalwell’s climb from Washington figure to serious California governor contender ran straight through the state’s party machinery, donor class and labor network, then stalled as those same allies began to cut him loose. The speed of the reversal showed how quickly a campaign can go from momentum to liability when scandal hits.

Swalwell launched his run for governor on Nov. 21, 2025, entering a crowded race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. By April, he was among the leading Democrats in the June 2 primary, helped by a string of endorsements that gave him instant credibility in Sacramento despite being largely unknown in the California State Capitol. Adam Schiff endorsed him on Feb. 9, and the California Teachers Association followed on March 29, after the union said Swalwell had joined educators on strike lines in Dublin and San Francisco.

That CTA backing mattered because the union represents about 310,000 educators statewide. Swalwell’s campaign and allies also pushed other Democratic support, including California politicians who helped introduce him to Sacramento power players. For a candidate trying to build a statewide coalition fast, those endorsements were not just symbolic. They were the infrastructure of credibility.

Then the allegations surfaced on April 10, and the alignments shifted almost immediately. The California Teachers Association suspended its support. The California Medical Association said it was convening an emergency board meeting after backing a pro-Swalwell committee. Californians for a Fighter, the super PAC supporting him, also suspended its activities. That PAC had reported $7.76 million in receipts, including $2 million from Uber Technologies and $1 million each from businessman Stephen Cloobeck, the California Medical Association and the California Dental Association.

The political fallout widened beyond the donor list. Nancy Pelosi said the allegations should be investigated and handled outside a gubernatorial campaign. Hakeem Jeffries called on Swalwell to exit the race. Jimmy Gomez, one of Swalwell’s campaign chairs and an early Sacramento booster, resigned immediately. The allegations involved a former staffer who said Swalwell sexually assaulted her in 2019 and again in 2024 when she was too intoxicated to consent. NBC News reported that the woman worked for Swalwell from 2019 until 2021.

Swalwell denied the accusations, calling them “flat false,” and said he would spend the weekend with family and friends before giving an update “very soon.” The rupture landed just as county elections officials were set to begin mailing ballots on May 4, with the last day to register for the primary on May 18. For a campaign built on speed and alliances, the next stretch will test whether any of that early momentum can survive the scandal that rewrote it.