The race to succeed Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom just took a significant blow after shocking sexual misconduct allegations by the party’s frontrunner to replace Newsom suddenly surfaced online.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), the Democratic frontrunner in the critical governor’s race, is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior with female staffers — a major scandal just 27 days ahead of the primary election.
Swalwell’s campaign broke its silence on allegations circulated by Cheyenne Hunt, a former Capitol Hill staffer and a political media personality, fiercely denying any sexual misconduct towards former staffers or interns.
“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,” Micah Beasley, a spokesperson for Swalwell, told the New York Post.
Hunt, who now runs a youth political engagement group called Gen-Z for Change, a left-leaning group, said that Swalwell had a practice of making sexual advances with women on his staff last week.
The allegations began to swirl after a series of videos posted to TikTok by Hunt claimed she was working with a group of women who had experienced misconduct by Swalwell, alluding to a report that she said could be published soon.
“The Democratic candidate currently leading in the California governor’s race has a known history of being predatory towards women,” Hunt claimed in a post to social media.
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“You know, Eric Swalwell has slept with many of his interns and makes them all sign [non-disclosure agreements] so they don’t speak up, right? And when I was 19, he tried hitting on me and sliding into my [Direct Messages],” the quote read.
Since posting her original video detailing Swalwell’s alleged advances, Hunt said she has been contacted by several other women sharing similar experiences.
“I am personally working with a group of women who want to come forward and share their stories. I am also aware of a much larger group that is also in this process that I am not personally working with,” Hunt claimed in a video posted this month.
Swalwell had forced these women to sign NDAs to prevent them from speaking about their experiences, Hunt said — a claim that Swalwell’s camp strongly denied.
Hunt has not provided names for the other women or said which other groups she is referring to.
However, multiple other Democratic operatives have posted about Swalwell, including Democratic strategist Bhavik Lathia, who told Democrats to take the allegations “seriously.”
“Hey, I just got off the phone with a trusted friend. This is real. Take it seriously. Eric Swallwell cannot be our nominee. There is going to be a lot more coming out soon. I can’t say more right now, but stay tuned,” Lathia wrote on X.
Hey, I just got off the phone with a trusted friend. This is real. Take it seriously. Eric Swallwell cannot be our nominee. There is going to be a lot more coming out soon.
I can’t say more right now, but stay tuned. https://t.co/UAoDnypcSO
— Bhavik Lathia (@bhaviklathia) April 6, 2026
“In 13 years, no one in Eric Swalwell’s Congressional office has ever been asked to sign an NDA. Ever,” Swalwell office said in a statement. “In 13 years, not a single ethics complaint by any staff in his office or any other office has ever been lodged. Ever.”
“As a prosecutor, Eric Swalwell spent his career fighting for women,” the spokesman added. “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. And as Governor, Eric Swalwell will continue to fight for the rights of all women.”
Mail-in voting for the critical blue state primary begins on May 4.
The gubernatorial primary is June 2.