Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is finished. His career is over; his gubernatorial bid is certainly doomed after last week’s bombshell allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. Four women came forward with reports of the California liberal acting inappropriately, while another, a former staffer, claimed she was raped by Swalwell. On Sunday, the congressman, who was leading the Democratic field, suspended his campaign.
These aren’t random accusations—Swalwell knows most or all his accusers. Additionally, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is investigating the rape charge, as it occurred at a NYC charity gala in 2024. The alleged victim claims this was the second attack, the first happening in 2019 while she was employed by him.
Yet, notice how no one seems genuinely surprised here. Every journalist, Democrat, and activist in these circles had an aura of finality or inevitability, a sense that they knew Swalwell would hit an iceberg and sink. Journalists claimed they were aware of the rumors. CNN even left some breadcrumbs in 2017. The speed at which Swalwell’s career was burned to ash indicates that everyone had kept their powder dry for a moment like this.
Found one. https://t.co/VBtU58pRDi pic.twitter.com/CCvRBxMVtx
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) April 13, 2026
I'm no Eric Swalwell fan, but something feels super orchestrated about this witch hunt against him. My full remarks at the link:https://t.co/Bp73zJjxwl pic.twitter.com/sf30uyd0Jj
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) April 12, 2026
I’ve covered Eric Swawell since he was a member of the Dublin City Council. Shortly after being elected to Congress in 2013, his behavior towards women was known by all levels of our local government and the Alameda County Democratic Party.
— Steven Tavares (@eastbaycitizen) April 12, 2026
Now that this is out of the bag, I want you all to see something from 2017.https://t.co/rWYBAA1Fce pic.twitter.com/jiNPSoSptb
— mrs.frazzled (@ms_frazzled) April 12, 2026
NEW: She was 24 yrs old when she connected w/ Rep. Swalwell, who said he could help her with her career.
— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) April 11, 2026
Messages on Snapchat that began as normal quickly turned flirtatious.. She says he sent her an unsolicited dick pic while laying in bed, told her how he had wanted to kiss…
It also didn’t take long for top Democrats, like Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) or Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), to call for his exit from the gubernatorial race. The Pelosi example is more glaring since Swalwell was part of her inner circle, at least when it came to attacking Trump in the media and on the Hill. Swalwell lost all his endorsements after this story broke before the weekend, which made his claims of fighting on seem like a joke: you had nothing left, man.
It was orchestrated by his friends. It was people he trusted who leaked the details, right? If that’s the case, Swalwell fell victim to the harsh reality of politics, which is that ambition will always trump friendships in this business.
Either way, he’s cooked. He’s out of the California governor’s race, but will he hang on to his seat? He’s on the expulsion target list. We’ll let Speaker Mike Johnson handle that.