Eric Swalwell Says He Will Resign From Congress Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations

UPDATED: After abandoning his gubernatorial campaign amid sexual misconduct allegations, Rep Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said Monday that he is resigning from Congress.

What’s unclear is if California Gov. Gavin Newsom will call for a special election to fill Swalwell’s seat or keep it vacant through the general election. The governor’s office is expected to make an official announcement once Swalwell departs.

The congressman’s plans to 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.”

The drive to expel Swalwell, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), in turn triggered Democratic calls to oust Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who admitted to an affair with a former staffer, who later died by suicide. A couple hours after Swalwell’s announcement, Gonzales announced that he, too, would resign.

Because Swalwell was running for governor, he was not seeking re-election, and there already was a race to succeed him, with a large field of candidates vying in the June primary.

Swalwell had been polling at the top of a large Democratic field of contenders for governor, but his campaign imploded on Friday, as the Chronicle posted its story. Some of his backers pulled their endorsement, campaign staffers left, and Democrats in Congress called on him to drop out. He did so on Sunday evening but still denied the allegations.

In Congress since 2013, Swalwell emerged as one of President Donald Trump’s highest-profile foes, and his notoriety undoubtedly boosted his prospects in the governor’s race.