MAE O’MALLEY / CONTRIBUTOR

Former Representative Eric Swalwell suspended his campaign for the Democratic bid for governor in the California gubernatorial election, announcing the decision on April 12. Swalwell’s exit from the race came amid allegations of sexual harassment from five women, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN. The announcement also served as his resignation from the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as the representative for California’s 14th and 15th congressional districts, respectively, since 2013. 

The primary election will be held on June 2, and Democrats have yet to find a front-runner for the ticket. Current Governor Gavin Newsom wraps up his second term in January, and is unable to run again due to a two four-year term limit. Many state and local politicians have stepped up to the plate including the mayors of Los Angeles and San Jose. 

Swalwell had been leading the polls — an Emerson College survey conducted in March favored the candidate with 17% of California voters — but his campaign collapsed following these allegations. Emerson polls conducted after Swalwell’s exit showed 23% of voters remained undecided. 

Swalwell’s campaign platform largely surrounded affordability in California, with the main goal to lower prices and increase wages. He focused on reaching out to young voters to hear their concerns and needs. 

California’s primary election system runs on a top-two primary system, meaning that every candidate will be on the same ballot. The top two candidates will advance to the general, regardless of party affiliation. It is possible the general election could be a bid between two Republican candidates, knocking Democrats out of the race completely. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was the last Republican governor in California, serving from 2003 to 2011. 

Without any notable candidates running for the Democratic spot, many USD students were unaware that a gubernatorial election was to take place this Nov. USD junior Maria Cornelius commented on her knowledge of the race.

“I  honestly   didn’t   know   anything  about  the  election  until  [my  friend]  brought  it up and we were talking about it,” Cornelius  said. “I’m from Nebraska so I honestly have no stake in it. I’m not that interested.” 

The first allegations came from 28-year-old Democratic strategist, Annika Albrecht, who claimed that Swalwell sexually harassed her six years ago.  Albrecht saw that Swalwell was on track to potentially win the election, and felt that she needed her story to be heard. Albrecht’s close friend and content creator posted Albrecht’s story and created a space for other women to share their stories. 

The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN published some of the accusations, including from Lonna Drewes who announced at a press conference on April 7 that Swalwell drugged and raped her in a hotel room in West Hollywood. Swalwell announced his exit from the race on Sunday night, followed by a resignation from Congress on Monday. Swalwell, who is married with three young children, denies the allegations from these women, but apologizes for any mistakes that he may have made.  

“Expelling anyone in Congress without due  process,  within  days  of an    allegation  being     made,  is   wrong,” Swalwell commented. “But  it’s   also wrong  for  my   constituents to have  me  distracted  from  my  duties.” 

Following these allegations, other women  came forward to share their   own   stories, including a former staffer. Two women described nonconsensual sexual interactions while being heavily intoxicated, and one described receiving unsolicited lewd photos. Following  these accusations, two of the victims received letters   from  Swalwell’s legal team, calling the accounts false and warning of legal action if they were to not take back their comments. 

Some students are concerned with the fact that Swalwell is not the first politician   to   receive   accusations of this kind against them. USD junior Ian Newberg weighed in on his feelings about the allegations. 

“More than anything, it’s tiring that time and again these politicians can just resign and not have to face any backlash from the Committee of Ethics or anything,” Newberg   stated. “It’s the same thing as  Matt Gaetz. I feel  like  they  all  just  get  away  with  it.” 

The Department of Justice launched an investigation into the conduct of the former representative, but has not made any public comments. The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics released a press release on April 13, regarding the allegations. The committee launched an investigation into Swalwell’s conduct and will determine if their findings violate any laws, rules or regulations in regards to any misconduct occurring with a subordinate. 

With just under two months until the primaries, California Democrats scramble to find a front-running gubernatorial nominee for the general election.

Swalwell dropped from the race following sexual abuse allegations. Photo courtesy of @ericswalwell/X