SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell said Sunday he was suspending his campaign for California governor after the San Francisco Chronicle reported sexual assault allegations involving a former staffer and as calls for him to resign from Congress spread, April 12, 2026. Swalwell denied the allegations, but the fallout widened as allies pulled away and prosecutors in New York confirmed an investigation.
What Eric Swalwell said as he suspended his campaign
According to Reuters’ report on the suspension, Swalwell said he was stepping back because the allegations were now “my fight, not a campaign’s,” while also apologizing for unspecified “mistakes in judgment” in his past. Reuters also reported that more than 50 former staffers had signed an open letter urging him to leave Congress. The Associated Press reported that he continued to deny the allegations and that AP had not independently verified the accuser’s account.
Why Eric Swalwell is facing calls to resign from Congress
The governor’s race is no longer the only question hanging over him. Reuters reported the Manhattan district attorney’s office is investigating the 2024 allegation, and the AP’s follow-up report said Swalwell’s name cannot be removed from the June 2 primary ballot even after he suspended his bid, while some House members were openly discussing resignation or expulsion if he refuses to step aside.
How the latest Eric Swalwell fallout reshapes the governor’s race
The reversal is striking because Swalwell had still been treated as a serious contender before the allegations surfaced. A Reuters analysis in late March described him as part of a Democratic cluster trying to avoid being shut out of California’s top-two system, which meant his suspension immediately scrambled calculations for rivals such as Katie Porter and Tom Steyer.
Eric Swalwell’s longer political arc adds context
The speed of the collapse also stands out because Swalwell has spent years trying to build a broader political profile. The AP reported in 2019 that he ended his presidential campaign after failing to gain traction nationally, and this governor’s race had become his clearest chance since then to turn his House profile into statewide power.
For now, Swalwell has drawn a line between his legal defense and his campaign. The next question is whether the allegations, the investigation and the widening calls for him to leave Congress force another decision he has not yet made.
