A statement attributed to the staff of U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell, the leading Democrat in the primary election for California governor, said they were "horrified" by allegations that he sexually assaulted a former employee.
The statement, posted on social media Saturday, claimed to be from senior staff of California's 14th Congressional District and Eric Swalwell for Governor 2026.
The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN reported Friday that a woman who worked on Swalwell's staff for almost two years alleged that she had sexual encounters with him. She claimed the Congressman had sexually assaulted her twice when she was too intoxicated to consent.
In his own statement, Swalwell, who polled 17 percent last month in a field of eight Democrats and two Republicans, called the unidentified woman's allegations "lies."
Two more major labor groups rescinded their endorsements of Swalwell on Saturday, with the California chapter of Service Employees International Union and California Federation of Labor Unions AFL-CIO calling on him to drop out of the race for governor.
Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, of Oakland, also added her voice on Saturday to the growing list of Democratic lawmakers calling on her fellow East Bay congressional representative to drop out of the governor's race.
