After abandoning his gubernatorial campaign amid sexual misconduct allegations, Rep Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said that he is resigning from Congress.
What’s unclear is if California Governor Gavin Newsom will call for a special election to fill Swalwell’s seat or keep it vacant through the general election.
His exit staves off a move to expel him, one that gained support of one of his key backers in his gubernatorial bid, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ). Earlier on Monday, the House Ethics Committee announced that it was launching an investigation.
“I’m deeply sorry to my family, staff and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell said in a statement. “I will fight the serious, false allegations made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistake that I did make.”
Swalwell was not specific about mistakes he made, but he has denied allegations following a San Francisco Chronicle report in which multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. One woman, a former staffer, alleged that he sexually assaulted her in 2024 when she had been intoxicated.
Swalwell said that he was “aware of efforts to being an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it’s wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.”
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