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By Joshua Rhett Miller
Senior Reporter
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The prospect of Representative Eric Swalwell being elected as the next governor of California is plummeting as the Democrat denies allegations of sexual harassment involving multiple staffers.
Swalwell's campaign released a statement Tuesday as reports circulated that multiple former staffers or interns planned to detail accusations of sexual misconduct involving the 45-year-old congressman, despite previously signing non-disclosure agreements or being fearful of legal repercussions.
"This false, outrageous rumor is being spread 27 days before an election begins by flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in this race," Swalwell campaign spokesperson Micah Beasley said in a statement to Newsweek. "In 13 years, no one in Eric Swalwell's Congressional office has ever been asked to sign an NDA. Ever. In 13 years, not a single ethics complaint by any staff in his office or any other office has ever been lodged. Ever."
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Swalwell, a married father of three who was elected in 2012, spent his career "fighting for women," Beasley said.
"As a representative, he has demanded accountability for convicted abusers like Donald Trump and has pushed for the full release of House Ethics Committee records related to any allegation of misconduct against any member of Congress," Beasley said. "And as governor, Eric Swalwell will continue to fight for the rights of all women."
Newsweek has not verified the allegations against Swalwell, which have been repeatedly referenced online by Cheyenne Hunt, executive director of left-leaning advocacy group Gen Z for Change. But the unverified claims have significantly impacted his chances of winning the governor's race on prediction markets like Kalshi, where his odds have plummeted to 39 percent, down from nearly 73 percent just weeks earlier.
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Billionaire Tom Steyer, another Democrat, trails Swalwell at 32 percent, followed by Republican Steve Hilton at 8 percent, according to Kalshi.
A California Democratic Party poll released Tuesday showed Swalwell and Steyer virtually tied among Democrats, with 12 percent and 11 percent, respectively. Among Republican candidates, Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco were tied at 14 percent, according to the survey of 1,200 likely voters.
A poll released last month found Swalwell leading California's open primary with 17 percent, four points ahead of Hilton and six points ahead of Steyer. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they were undecided, according to the Emerson College Polling survey.
Swalwell also addressed the accusations following a town hall in Sacramento on Tuesday, The Sacramento Bee reported.
"It's false," Swalwell said, adding that he has never had a relationship with a staffer or used NDAs. He also questioned the timing of the allegations.
"I will just take stock that, look, we’re 27 days before an election starts,” he said in reference to the beginning of early voting in the June 2 primary.
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Hunt, meanwhile, declined to provide specifics regarding the allegations against Swalwell on Tuesday.
"I spoke about this because a close personal friend reached out to me and shared her story with me, and was horrified at the idea that it looked like he was poised to become the next governor of California," she told Newsweek. "And I am attorney—I'm well aware of the fact that if I were to use my platform to spread lies about a powerful public figure, I could be sued. But I vetted this information and I know her personally, and I'm protecting her anonymity. And I've seen the receipts, so I spoke."
If Swalwell's slide continues, a nightmare scenario for Democrats in California could materialize with Republicans flipping the state. A poll conducted last month by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found Hilton at 17 percent, trailed by Bianco at 16 percent. Swalwell and former Democratic Representative Katie Porter garnered 13 percent of likely voters.
The poll also revealed that Republican voters in California primarily want to cut waste and fraud, while Democrats have much more fragmented concerns about housing, immigration and homelessness.
"The wide range of concerns cited as being important to the state's Democrats reflects, in part, their broad and fractured field of candidates, as none as yet has won over a large segment of Democratic voters with a clear message about what they want this election to be about," Berkeley IGS co-director Eric Schickler said last month.
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