Powerful California institutions backed Swalwell's rise. Now they're facing questions - BERITAJA

SACRAMENTO — Before it each came crashing down, Eric Swalwell appeared connected the cusp of rising to the apical of the Democratic section successful the California governor’s race.

Swalwell had conscionable announced a statewide circuit and aired his first ad. The erstwhile charismatic and Dublin metropolis councilman launched his run connected “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” successful November, a comfortable mounting for a leader who’d built a nationalist estimation by appearing connected cablegram news shows to onslaught President Trump.

Influential forces successful Sacramento had begun coalescing down the then-Bay Area congressman, including immoderate consultants and advisors adjacent to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom hasn’t endorsed, but his associates’ engagement lent credibility to Swalwell.

Swalwell’s run quickly collapsed pinch the explosive allegations that he sexually assaulted a erstwhile staffer and had acted inappropriately pinch different women who were conscionable opening governmental careers. Swalwell denies the allegations but dropped retired of the title for politician and resigned his spot successful the House.

The whiplash complete Swalwell’s accelerated emergence and autumn has Democratic leaders facing questions about whether they had a unsighted spot about his alleged behavior.

His onetime friends successful Congress are being asked whether they knew about his conduct, which has been described as an unfastened concealed connected Capitol Hill. Unions who backed Swalwell person fled, and governmental consultants are returning donations.

Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, speaks to Kaiser Permanente nurses and healthcare workers astatine the Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center successful San Diego connected Jan. 26.

(K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)

California Federation of Labor Unions President Lorena Gonzalez, whose group endorsed Swalwell and 3 others successful the race, said she confronted Swalwell much than a period agone aft proceeding rumors about womanizing and illicit photos.

“He’s a liar,” Gonzalez said. “He’s conscionable a very skillful leader who did not show the truth moreover erstwhile asked directly.”

Though he was small known successful overmuch of California, Swalwell, 45, was a youthful and caller look successful a section of candidates, galore of them seasoned politicians, erstwhile he entered the contest.

A small much than a week ago, his run was connected an upward trajectory. His first statewide emphasized his hometown roots and concerns faced by Californians, including rising costs astatine his favourite doughnut shop successful his hometown of Dublin. He rolled retired caller endorsements from authorities and national elected officials almost daily.

Former and existent advisors adjacent to Newsom were besides helping Swalwell’s campaign, aggregate sources told The Times. Others associated pinch the politician are besides helping rival candidates.

Other Democrats successful the title said the warnings about Swalwell should person been investigated much thoroughly by the powerful California politicians and liking groups that backed him.

Antonio Villaraigosa, the erstwhile politician of Los Angeles, called him a “flash successful the pan” — personification who lacked substance.

“People thought conscionable because he was celebrated connected TV that possibly he had been vetted,” Villaraigosa said. “He had not been vetted.”

Gubernatorial candidates Katie Porter and Antonio Villaraigosa stock a infinitesimal while participating successful a campaigner forum successful Los Angeles connected Jan. 10.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Swalwell’s entranceway into the title past autumn came astatine a clip erstwhile elected officials and leaders of powerful liking groups successful Sacramento were unimpressed by the field, peculiarly aft big-name Democrats including erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Alex Padilla and authorities Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta had passed connected running.

Steven Maviglio, a Sacramento-based Democratic consultant, said location was unit to find the “perfect candidate” for the state’s about powerful office.

“Democrats are looking for a combatant against Trump, and he fresh the bill,” Maviglio said. “That was capable for about people.”

As pinch about members of California’s legislature delegation, Swalwell was an unfamiliar fig to galore Californians surviving extracurricular his Alameda County district, moreover though he had a lighthearted, robust beingness connected societal media.

He’d ne'er held statewide agency erstwhile he was elected to Congress aft a profession that included serving connected the Dublin City Council and moving arsenic a criminal charismatic for Alameda County.

But he appeared to beryllium adjacent to erstwhile House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who selected him to beryllium an impeachment head for the lawsuit against President Trump successful 2021.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) addresses the crowd astatine the California Democratic Party State Convention successful San Francisco connected Feb. 21, 2026.

(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

At a forum successful Washington this week, Rep. Pelosi rejected suggestions that Democrats looked past the accusations.

“None whatsoever,” she said, erstwhile asked what allegations she’d heard about.

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who antecedently worked alongside Swalwell connected the House Judiciary Committee and endorsed him, said connected MS NOW that he felt betrayed and “sickened” by the allegations.

“My paramount emotion is that I’m grateful these women came forward,” Schiff said. “I’m grateful that they did truthful erstwhile they did — it prevented our authorities from making a perchance unspeakable mistake.”

Sara Azari, an lawyer for Swalwell, said successful a connection that he denies each of the allegations of intersexual misconduct and battle and will prosecute “every ineligible remedy” against those making the claims.

“These accusations are false, fabricated and profoundly violative — a calculated and transparent governmental deed occupation designed to destruct the estimation of a man who has spent 20 years successful nationalist service,” Azari said.

Attorney Lisa Bloom reaches toward a photograph astatine a news convention wherever Lonna Drewes, left, is seen pinch erstwhile Rep. Eric Swalwell, astatine a news briefing successful Beverly Hills connected Tuesday. Drewes elaborate a 2018 brushwood successful which she claimed Swalwell drugged and sexually assaulted her aft offering master mentorship.

(Myung J Chun/Los Angeles Times)

On Tuesday, Lonna Drewes accused Swalwell of drugging and raping her successful 2018 while she worked arsenic a model, an allegation now being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Azari, successful an question and reply connected NewsNation, said of Drewes’ allegation: “Two adults consenting, which is our position is, is not against the law.”

California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks declined to reply questions this week about whether the ungraded hurts the party’s credibility, saying only that the allegations are “clear for voters: [Swalwell] is not a suitable choice.”

In an question and reply pinch The Times, Hicks said the statement relies connected delegates to vet candidates earlier endorsement votes astatine the statement convention. While nary gubernatorial campaigner reached the basal level of support to gain the endorsement astatine the February gathering, Swalwell had the largest share pinch 24%.

Gonzalez, of the labour federation, said she called Swalwell successful the first week of March aft being contacted by respective group about his sexually inappropriate behavior.

She described the awkward speech — and his contiguous denials. None of it was true, he said. If location was thing sordid to find successful his past, it would person been dug up by Trump and conservatives who went aft him erstwhile he was helping to effort and impeach the president, he said.

At the national group’s endorsement meeting, members grilled Swalwell about respective issues, including his claimed residency successful Livermore, his engagement pinch a nonunion movie production, and his expertise to negociate his ain finances.

The rumor of inappropriate intersexual behaviour ne'er came up astatine the endorsement, Gonzalez said.

“We were successful a position, for illustration truthful many, of trying to fig retired who this feline was pinch each these reddish flags, but being told by a batch of surrogates that they were his prime — whether it’s group successful Congress aliases folks who knew him from home,” Gonzalez said.

Other organization players besides threw successful their support. The California Medical Assn. endorsed Swalwell early successful February. The group represents much than 50,000 physicians successful the authorities and spends heavy successful elections.

“It decidedly was a motion that that’s wherever the constitution should head,” Maviglio said.

California Medical Assn. spokesperson Erin Mellon said the group met pinch candidates and backed Swalwell “based connected the accusation disposable to us” astatine the time.

Behind the scenes, Swalwell was courting attention. He began hanging retired astatine the Grange, a favourite edifice barroom successful Sacramento for authorities lawmakers and lobbyists, trying to make connections, according to a root who ran into him there.

Months earlier, he sent a matter to a California governmental advisor pinch questions about who should thief his campaign. He asked about the well-known patient of Bearstar Strategies, according to the matter exchange, which was viewed by The Times.

Swalwell texted, “would you urge having our IE spell to them?” to the consultant, a reference to an “independent expenditure,” which is an extracurricular committee that raises money successful support of candidates but is barred from coordinating pinch their campaigns.

Bearstar Strategies yet launched an independent committee to support Swalwell, which successful caller weeks raised much than $7 cardinal from governmental action committees for the California Medical Assn., DaVita and different aesculapian manufacture groups, arsenic good arsenic Uber.

Antonio Villaraigosa, left, shakes hands pinch Tom Steyer during a gubernatorial campaigner forum successful Sacramento connected April 14, 2026.

(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

Bearstar Strategies, whose members person agelong advised Newsom, besides provides media consultants for a committee moving onslaught s against environmentalist Tom Steyer, different campaigner successful the race. Swalwell would person benefited from the committee’s spending.

Jim DeBoo, a advisor and Newsom’s erstwhile main of staff, is helping connected the anti-Steyer committee, according to aggregate sources, which has raised $14 cardinal from existent property agents’ and inferior manufacture groups. DeBoo didn’t respond to a petition for comment, and a typical for Bearstar declined a petition for an interview.

No 1 has claimed that immoderate of those consultants aliases individuals knew about Swalwell’s alleged behavior. Bearstar Strategies said successful a connection past week that it had suspended each activity connected Swalwell’s independent expenditure.

Jamie Court, president of the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog, said organization groups backed Swalwell because they thought he could triumph and they wanted to support the position quo successful Sacramento.

“They picked the incorrect guy,” Court said.