Abuse allegations against lead Democrat shake race for California governor

Reports detailing sexual assault allegations against US Congressman Eric Swalwell have shaken the California state gubernatorial race, where polls have shown him leading a crowded field of Democratic candidates seeking to replace Governor Gavin Newsom.

A number of influential Democratic Party lawmakers called on Swalwell to drop out of the race and resign from the United States Congress during TV interviews on Sunday, days after reports from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle detailed alleged accounts of sexual assault from a former staffer and misconduct allegations from several other women.

“What he did is sick and disgusting,” Congressman Ro Khanna told the news programme Fox News Sunday, calling for investigations into the allegations by law enforcement and the US House of Representatives.

Swalwell has denied the allegations as “absolutely false” and has not given any indication that he plans to exit the race for the governorship of the country’s most populous state. A March poll from Emerson College had shown Swalwell ahead of Democratic and Republican challengers by several points.

But the reports have shaken his campaign, with powerful figures and organisations revoking their endorsements and calling for him to drop out over the weekend. The Manhattan district attorney’s office confirmed on Saturday that it was investigating the allegations.

Republican US Representative Anna Paulina Luna has said she will submit a motion to begin the process of expelling Swalwell, a move some Democrats in Congress have said they could support.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Representative Pramila Jayapal said Sunday. “This cuts across party lines. And it is the depravity of the way that women have been treated.”

Democrats have also called for the expulsion of Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas who is also facing sexual misconduct allegations.

Khanna and Republican Representative Byron Donalds have said that they could support a bid to eject both Gonzales and Swalwell from Congress.

“As far as I’m concerned, both gentlemen need to go home,” Donalds said.