The California Governor’s race, already crowded with seven Democratic candidates, just got another big shakeup as recent party frontrunner Rep. Eric Swalwell has announced his plan to resign both from candidacy and office amid sexual harassment and assault allegations.
Numerous House representatives from both parties called for his expulsion, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida.
Swalwell suspended his campaign on Sunday, April 12 with an announcement on X expressing regret for “mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.”
“I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s,” Swalwell posted on X.
Political consultant Luis Alvarado said that if the Democratic party is not able to find its new star, it runs the risk of being wholly absent from the November ballot.
“It wasn’t until the last few weeks that [Swalwell] started to consolidate endorsements by unions and other elected officials,” he said. “If the Democrats don’t have the ability to coalesce once again around another candidate, what you’re going to have is the possibility of having two Republicans on the ballot in November.”
However, it is also becoming more likely for the final two candidates to both be Republican, as the Democratic party lacks a clear, uncontested frontrunner.
Swalwell dropped out of the California gubernatorial campaign on Sunday after a former staffer accused him of rape, and other women accused him of sexual misconduct.
According to a Survey USA poll released Sunday, Swalwell had 9% of the vote, in close competition with two other candidates for third place. The data from April 8-10 was collected before the allegations surfaced.
With seven Democratic candidates and two Republicans, it is still unclear who the top two candidates will be. Katie Porter and Tom Steyer are the current democratic frontrunners, polling at 8% and 21% of the Survey USA vote, respectively.
Steve Hilton, who President Donald Trump endorsed, is currently polling at 18%, leading his Republican opponent Chad Bianco by 10%.
“I think all candidates have missed their point in connecting with the voters,” Alvarado said, “and it’s interesting to see how they’re going to be able to change and modify their political message strategy in the next six to seven days.”
California’s state elections operate with a top-two primary system, meaning the two candidates with the most votes advance to the November ballot, rather than one candidate from each party.
Mail-in ballots for the primary election on June 2 are expected to be mailed starting May 4, with drop-off locations opening May 5. As of Tuesday, Swalwell remains on the California Secretary of State certified list of candidates, published in March.