SACRAMENTO — A sexual assault accusation against Rep. Eric Swalwell of California was published by The San Francisco Chronicle on Friday, as several staff members quit his campaign for governor and key supporters abandoned him.

The article did not name the woman who made the accusation but gave detailed descriptions of several sexual encounters she said she had with Swalwell, including two instances in which she said he had assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent.

Swalwell immediately denied the accusations.

“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor,” he said in a statement. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action.”

The New York Times has not confirmed the accusations.

Campaign Chair Steps Down, CTA Pulls Endorsement

The allegations were already upending Swalwell’s campaign, with senior officials quitting and powerful interest groups retracting their endorsements. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., who was his campaign chair, said he was stepping down immediately and called on Swalwell to drop out of the race as the candidate faced the “the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable.”

“My involvement in any campaign begins and ends with trust,” Gomez said, adding that Swalwell should leave the race “so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay.”

Labor unions and professional associations that had endorsed his campaign were scrambling to put together emergency meetings to reconsider next steps. One of the most powerful labor unions in the state, the California Teachers Association, quickly pulled back its endorsement.

“We are immediately suspending our support,” David Goldberg, the group’s president, said in a statement. “Our elected board will be meeting as soon as possible to follow our union’s democratic process to determine next steps.”

The state’s doctors’ lobby was also rushing to discuss whether to withdraw its endorsement of Swalwell.

“The California Medical Association takes these allegations extremely seriously,” said Erin Mellon, a spokesperson for the group. “We have convened an emergency meeting of our board.”

The accusations against Swalwell, who briefly ran for president in 2019, were the first specific claims to emerge after speculation had circulated online for weeks.

Swalwell Initially Ignored the Accusations

At first, Swalwell ignored social media posts from two liberal influencers who said that they had spoken with women who had experienced or had knowledge of sexual misconduct by the congressman. The posts did not include any specific claims.

But this week — before the Chronicle report was published — he forcefully denied ever having had inappropriate relationships with female staffers. He also denied the existence of nondisclosure agreements, which the social media posts had said was a reason that victims were reluctant to come forward.

“It’s false,” he said Tuesday, as he answered questions from reporters at a campaign event in Sacramento. “There’s never been an allegation, and there’s never been a settlement.”

Swalwell is a front-runner in the crowded race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited. He is among eight prominent Democrats and two well-known Republicans competing in California’s nonpartisan primary, set for June 2.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Laurel Rosenhall/Mike Kai Chen

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