Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.” The timing of Rep. Eric Swalwell’s spectacular implosion on Friday is a case in point.
After the explosive allegations broke — first via the San Francisco Chronicle and then CNN — including a former staffer’s sexual assault claim and accusations from three additional women of unwanted sexual advances and explicit messages, the Democratic stampede away from the congressman and previously formidable gubernatorial candidate was on.
The presumption of innocence flew out the window. Politico reported that the co-chairs of Swalwell’s campaign, Reps. Jimmy Gomez and Adam Gray resigned and called for him to withdraw from the race, even before the Chronicle published its report.
Gomez issued a statement that read: “Today I learned shocking information about Eric Swalwell containing the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable. My involvement in any campaign begins and ends with trust. I cannot in good conscience remain in any role with this campaign, and I am stepping down from it effective immediately.”
Both of California’s Democratic senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, called on Swalwell to end his campaign.
The California Teachers’ Association and the SEIU immediately paused their endorsements. In a statement, CTA President David Goldberg said, “The allegations are incredibly disturbing and unacceptable against Rep. Swalwell. We are immediately suspending our support.”
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called for an investigation and recommended he leave the race. So did House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
Even Swalwell’s former friend, Sen. Reuben Gallego (D-AZ), who had expressed solidarity with him earlier this week, turned his back on him.
And on it went.
Swalwell forcefully denied the allegations in a late-night video post on X:
Democrats, with the help of a complicit media, have shown they can sideline damaging narratives when it suits them. Recall the 2020 presidential race, when Tara Reade’s credible — and even corroborated — allegations of sexual assault against Joe Biden were discredited and then buried.
The full-court press against Swalwell happened so fast, it was almost as if a memo went out from Democratic Central ordering all the rats to abandon ship.
In fact, some political analysts think that’s precisely what happened, and the concern centers on the possibility that California might actually elect a Republican governor.
As I reported earlier this week:
California will hold a “jungle primary” in the gubernatorial race on June 2, with all candidates — regardless of party — competing on a single ballot. The top two finishers will advance to a November runoff.The RealClearPolitics polling average currently shows former Fox News host Steve Hilton, a Republican, leading the race with 14.7%. Eric Swalwell follows closely at 13.7%, while another Republican, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, is hot on his heels with 13%.Rounding out the field are former Rep. Katie Porter (D) at 11.3%, billionaire businessman Tom Steyer (D) at 10.3%, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at 4.3%, and former California Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa at 4%.
Before Friday’s mutiny, a scenario in which two Republicans finished on top was very much in play. While Swalwell refuses to drop out of the race, his support is expected to collapse.
Democrats are now counting on Swalwell’s former supporters to rally behind either Porter or Steyer to make sure a Democrat is on the ballot in November.
In the X post below, a political analyst notes, “How ruthlessly effective is the Democrat machine? Eric Swalwell is asked to drop out of the race because a Republican may actually win. He refuses.”
“This is all a coordinated attack because they’ve seen the internal polling that [Republican] Steve Hilton may actually win this thing and they are sacrificing Swalwell because liberal idiots like him are a dime a dozen,” he concludes.
Conservative political strategist, lobbyist, and Trump loyalist Mike Davis agrees.
He also pointed out that Democrats are not calling for Swalwell’s resignation from Congress.
Another analyst argued that Porter was aware of the allegations in advance and sat on them “until it was too late for anyone else to enter. She knew Swalwell would be her biggest Dem challenger. The party of ‘Believe All Victims’ has no choice when a Dem Intern says she was sexually assaulted by an office holder.”
I’m not convinced that Porter really has the clout within the Democratic Party to dictate the timing of a scandal. Besides, the filing deadline for candidates to appear on the June 2 primary ballot was March 6, well over a month ago.
Either way, Porter is a terrible candidate and an unlikable person. When people think of her, they remember she allegedly threw scolding mashed potatoes at her now ex-husband’s head during an argument, screamed “Get out of my f***ing shot!” to an aide when she was recording a message for the Biden administration, and threatened to walk out in the middle of a CBS interview because she didn’t like the questions.
Additionally, both Schiff and Republican candidate Steve Garvey crushed her in the 2024 Senate primary.
The affable and politically savvy former Fox News host Steve Hilton (R) has been campaigning in this race for more than a year and has gained significant traction.
In the end, the speed and uniformity of the Democratic response tell their own story. Within hours, party leaders, allies, and institutional backers moved in near lockstep, reshaping a volatile race at a moment when the stakes could not be higher. Whether driven by genuine outrage, political necessity, or something more calculated, the timing of Swalwell’s implosion has already altered the trajectory of the contest. In a system where deadlines have passed, and options are limited, the question lingers: was this simply a scandal breaking when it did — or a reminder that in politics, timing is often the most powerful force of all?
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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