California Democrats just executed one of the most cynical political hit jobs in recent memory, and they didn’t even bother hiding the strings. Rep. Eric Swalwell, until days ago a frontrunner for governor in the nation’s largest state, suspended his campaign Sunday night after a sudden barrage of sexual misconduct allegations from multiple women, including claims of sexual assault by a former staffer. He denies it all, calling the claims “serious, false allegations” he’ll fight personally – even though reports include messages and other evidence that complicate his blanket denial. But the timing tells the real story: Swalwell wasn’t pushed out because Democrats suddenly discovered his behavior – he was pushed out because if he stayed in the race, Republicans actually had a fighting chance of winning the governorship.
Here’s what happened in fast-forward. On Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN dropped detailed reports of alleged assaults and misconduct. By Saturday, endorsements were evaporating, staff was resigning, and fellow Democrats were publicly demanding he quit the governor’s race. By Sunday, Swalwell was gone from the campaign trail. The campaign that looked solid two weeks ago imploded in 48 hours. But this was never mainly about forcing him to resign from Congress – though some voices called for that too. The urgent push was to get him out of the gubernatorial primary before the damage became irreversible.
This wasn’t organic outrage. It looked like a controlled demolition.
Enter the local press, where at least one East Bay political reporter has now suggested this was no surprise at all. Steven Tavares, who writes the East Bay Insiders newsletter, posted on X that he’s covered Swalwell since his Dublin City Council days. “Shortly after being elected to Congress in 2013,” Tavares wrote, “his behavior towards women was known by all levels of our local government and the Alameda County Democratic Party.” For thirteen years, the insiders knew. The party knew. The local press knew. And nobody said a word – until the moment Swalwell’s continued presence in the crowded Democratic primary threatened to fracture the vote enough for Republicans to sneak into the top two in California’s jungle primary. That’s not journalism. That’s political insurance.
While the sexual assault claims dominated the headlines, Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin dropped another bombshell: the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Fox that Swalwell is under investigation for allegedly hiring a Brazilian national as a nanny who lacked work authorization in the U.S. USCIS had been gathering details, now referred to DHS. “No employer, including a member of Congress, is above the law,” the agency said.
Allegations of illegal nanny hires, potential ethical red flags, and a pattern of behavior toward women that was apparently an open secret in Democratic circles for more than a decade – none of it mattered while Swalwell was just another Democrat congressman voting the way the party wanted him to. It only mattered when he became a threat to the party’s iron grip on Sacramento.
California’s top-two primary system means the two highest vote-getters advance to November, regardless of party. With a crowded field of Democrats splitting the progressive vote, a viable Republican could actually crack the top two. Multiple polls had shown the distinct possibility of two Republicans advancing if the Democratic field remained fractured. Swalwell staying in would have kept that fracture alive. His exit conveniently consolidates the party behind a less-damaged standard-bearer and seemingly slams the door on any realistic GOP path to victory.
This is how California Democrats operate: protect the brand at all costs. They’ll overlook sexual misconduct allegations, immigration-related allegations, and ethical red flags for years – until those same problems risk handing even a sliver of power to the other side. Then, suddenly, their friends in the press remembers facts they’ve sat on for 13 years, the party discovers its principles, and the offender is disappeared faster than you can say “Fang Fang.”
Swalwell’s defenders will call this a “reckoning.” But a legitimate reckoning would have happened in 2013, or 2019, or any time before he became a political liability. This was damage control dressed up as morality. The same machine that protected him for years threw him under the bus the second his presence jeopardized the one thing they care about more than anything: total, unchallenged control of California.
Republicans shouldn’t celebrate Swalwell’s downfall. They should study it. Because in a state where Democrats have perfected the art of selective outrage, this episode proves one thing: the allegations didn’t end Swalwell’s campaign. The fear of a Republican governor did.
And that should terrify every California voter who still believes elections are about ideas instead of power.
Tim Young is a commentator and content creator. Follow him on X at @TimRunsHisMouth.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Dallas Express.