Rep. Eric Swalwell’s campaign for Governor has exploded. He’s denied sex abuse charges levied by a staffer, but he’s done.
For me, what made it believable was a byline for Seema Mehta. I have know her for years. She worked with my wife at the LATimes. She never gets it wrong.
Swalwell should exit the race immediately and not endorse anyone, as his taint will affect any candidate he endorses. He’s done.
Congressman Lou Correa has pulled his endorsement of Swalwell and he won’t be the last. Katie Porter has called for him to drop out and resign from Congress. Campaign staff is in tatters.
It’s uncomfortable to get into details of alleged sexual assault. I’ll wait on other county Democrats to denounce Swalwell and that includes former CA40 congressional candidate Perry Meade who was all in for Swawell after exiting the race.
From Politico:
The dominoes tumbled quickly. Top staffers departed the campaign shortly before the Chronicle story published. Major endorsers began rescinding or pausing their support. And a pro-Swalwell independent expenditure committee said it was suspending operations.
Swalwell’s two campaign co-chairs, Reps. Jimmy Gomez and Adam Gray, called on Swalwell to drop out — a stunning rebuke from key surrogates who had helped introduce Swalwell to power players in Sacramento, where both served in the state Assembly.
“Today I learned shocking information about Eric Swalwell containing the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable,” Gomez said in a statement. “My involvement in any campaign begins and ends with trust. I cannot in good conscience remain in any role with this campaign, and I am stepping down from it effective immediately.”
California Sen. Adam Schiff, who along with Gomez had made calls pitching Swalwell to key labor unions, also called on Swalwell to leave the race, as did fellow California Sen. Alex Padilla, who is neutral in the governor’s race.
Also abandoning Swalwell was Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, who said he was withdrawing his endorsement and expressed regret for defending Swalwell in recent days.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for an investigation and said she spoke to Swalwell about leaving the race.
The beneficiaries of Swalwell’s stumble are Katie Porter and Tom Steyer. Let’s see what happens.
Guilty until proven innocent is common today. Of course, this is the court of public opinion not a court of law. The allegations are serious and should be fully investigated. If a guilty verdict is decided in a court of law, an appropriate sentence should be given.