‘Disappointed and disgusted’: San Mateo County Democrats respond to sexual assault allegations against former gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell 

Many former Swalwell supporters, including former Belmont Mayor Charles Stone, have been left wondering what comes next. 

“I, like everyone else I know who was supportive of Congressman Swalwell, am incredibly disappointed and disgusted by the allegations against him,” Stone said. “I withdrew my support as soon as I learned last Friday, and have been candidly very much in a place of wondering who I might support going forward. There isn’t anybody who leaps out to me.” 

U.S. Rep Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, previously endorsed Swalwell but retracted that endorsement and urged him to drop out of the race once news of the assault allegations against him broke. 

In a statement April 15, Mullin called Swalwell’s decision to resign from the U.S. House of Representatives “appropriate” and thanked the women who had spoken out against him. Congress should move to improve internal processes to protect staffers who report abuse against members, Mullin’s statement said. 

“There’s no way in hell I would have endorsed his campaign had I known anything about these horrific allegations,” Mullin said in the statement. “Serving in Congress is a great privilege, and the power it holds means that elected officials must hold themselves to the highest ethical and legal standards.” 

Mullin didn’t state who, if any, of the California gubernatorial candidates he would endorse moving forward. With roughly three weeks until ballots are distributed, the bevy of Democratic candidates are still jostling for position in a race that has raised fears Republicans could overtake them as the Democratic vote splinters. 

U.S. Rep Sam Liccardo, D-San Jose, endorsed San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan in the governor’s race. In a statement, he also expressed support for Swalwell’s resignation from Congress and said the uncovered abuse allegations raise larger questions around keeping women safe in the workplace, particularly given long-held rumors that Swalwell harassed female staffers. 

“I publicly urged Swalwell to resign three days ago, and his resignation provides some relief and vindication to survivors,” Liccardo’s April 13 statement read. “But we also must ask the harder question: for a man long rumored to menace young female coworkers, why did so many powerful people look the other way, and even support him? It is time for a reckoning.”

For those who previously supported Swalwell, the question of which candidate to now throw support to remains unanswered, Stone said, however, he acknowledged progressive billionaire Tom Steyer has a “good chance of winning” under conventional wisdom. 

“With around three weeks left before ballots drop, the candidates who have access to a war chest are best positioned to become the front-runner. That may be an unfortunate fact, depending on your viewpoint,” he said. “It’s an awfully tall order for someone who is polling very low and doesn’t have a war chest to rise to the top fast enough.” 

A SurveyUSA poll that was 80% complete before news of the allegations against Swalwell came to light showed Steyer and Republican candidate Steve Hilton, a British conservative political commentator, leading the race with Swalwell, former Democratic U.S. Rep. Katie Porter and Republican candidate Chad Bianco essentially tied for third. 

Other Democratic candidates in the race include former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former State Controller Betty Yee, state Superintendent Tony Thurmond and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. 

For Stone, the choice of a new candidate to back will likely come down to who can win the race, he said, lest dire predictions that Republicans Bianco and Hilton could take both spots in the general election due to the state’s open primary and fractured Democratic votes come true. 

“I’m going to have to practice what I preach — we often have to grin and bear it when it comes to backing candidates for the greater good of party and country. I’m going to have to choose someone who I don’t agree [with] on everything,” he said. “If you don’t win, you don’t govern. Full stop.”