Eric Swalwell is out of the California governor’s race, and Democrats want you to believe they did the right thing and are rushing to position themselves as the party of accountability. Don’t buy it.
“I have read the San Francisco Chronicle’s account and I am deeply distressed by its allegations,” Sen. Adam Schiff said in a statement. “This woman was brave to come forward, and we should take her story seriously. I am withdrawing my endorsement immediately, and believe that he should withdraw from the race.”
“This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in her own statement. “As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that this is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”
“We commend the courageous women for sharing their experiences,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a joint statement with Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar. “In this and all circumstances, we must ensure that those who come forward with allegations of sexual assault and harassment are heard and respected. All perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment must be held accountable.”
Noble-sounding words. But here’s the problem. Everyone in Washington already knew.
“Every member in Congress knows not to let any young staffer around Swalwell or Matt Gaetz, it’s not a secret there,” former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on ABC’s This Week.
Read that again.
Every member. Not some. Not a few. Every member of Congress reportedly knew that young staffers needed protection from Eric Swalwell. That isn’t a rumor mill. That’s institutional knowledge.
Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown made that crystal clear. “No, I’m not surprised frankly because there have been rumors after rumors after rumors, his colleague in Washington pretty much said that. That’s what Adam Schiff said, that’s what Nancy Pelosi said.”
Yeah, so that’s Brown confirming that top Democrats knew who Swalwell really was. That’s why when the allegations were made public, there was no room for defending him. They knew they were true because they knew his character. Yet, they elevated Swalwell anyway. They let him sit on the House Intelligence Committee. They gave him a national platform during the Trump impeachment proceedings. They let him run for president. They handed him a microphone at every opportunity while reportedly keeping young staffers away from him behind closed doors.
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Political communications analyst Daniel Schnur, who teaches at UC Berkeley and USC, called the fallout “a mess” for Democrats and California primary voters — and that’s putting it gently.
This is the same party that spent years lecturing the country about believing women, holding men accountable, and setting a higher standard. The standard they actually kept was quieter: protect the brand, manage the optics, and move on. Swalwell’s suspension gets packaged as proof that Democrats police their own.
They knew. They stayed silent. They’re only talking now because a newspaper forced their hand.
And now Swalwell’s exit from the gubernatorial race has created some chaos for them to manage.
Political analysts said the fallout creates uncertainty for voters and party leaders alike.
“But right now, this is a mess. It’s a mess for the Democratic Party, and it’s a mess for California primary voters,” said Daniel Schnur, who teaches political communications at UC Berkeley and the University of Southern California.
Schnur said the two immediate beneficiaries of Swalwell’s decision are Katie Porter and Tom Steyer, though both face obstacles. He said Steyer has drawn criticism for his wealth and investment history, while Porter’s personal style has sparked complaints.
“He’s being attacked for making millions and millions of dollars for investing his money in ways that most Democrats find to be absolutely unacceptable,” Schnur said of Steyer.
“Porter is being criticized for being unpleasant,” he said. “I don’t think most Californians want an unpleasant governor, but of the two, it seems like it might be an obstacle that is more likely to be overcome.”
Democrats helped create this mess by refusing to hold their own accountable until it became politically inconvenient. They can spare us the claims that they’re the party of accountability.
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