Bipartisan pressure is mounting on U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell to leave Congress immediately, as multiple sexual misconduct allegations upend his once-promising bid for California governor and bring renewed scrutiny to congressional ethics. Multiple Democratic lawmakers have publicly called for Swalwell’s expulsion from the House of Representatives, with a key condition that the same process be applied to Texas Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales, who is also facing abuse allegations connected to a former staff member.
Virginia Democratic Representative Eugene Vindman made the position clear during an interview with CNN on Sunday, stating, “We should not tolerate this behaviour. Representative Eric Swalwell needs to go.” Before the claims emerged, Swalwell was widely viewed as a leading frontrunner in the 2026 California gubernatorial Democratic primary, a race for the nation’s most populous state that has been held by Democratic governors for more than two decades.
Notably, both men are already scheduled to end their congressional terms in January regardless of the expulsion push. Last month, Gonzales withdrew from his re-election campaign after publicly confirming he had an extramarital affair with a member of his congressional staff. The House’s independent ethics committee has launched a formal investigation into Gonzales’ conduct to examine potential rule violations.
For Swalwell, four different women have come forward with accusations that span from sexual harassment to sexual assault, according to U.S. media reports. One alleged incident that took place in New York City has already triggered an official investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. The BBC has not independently confirmed the identities or claims of the anonymous accusers, consistent with standard reporting protocol for unvetted allegations.
First elected to represent his San Francisco Bay Area congressional district in 2012, Swalwell, a married father of three, has forcefully pushed back against the claims. In a formal statement released Friday, he said, “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public – as a prosecutor and a congressman, and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action.”
Within hours of the allegations becoming public, Swalwell lost endorsements from key national Democratic figures, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Now, an increasing number of his congressional colleagues are moving beyond withdrawing support to demanding he leave Congress months before his scheduled departure in January.
California Democratic Representative Jared Huffman said he would back expulsion if both Swalwell and Gonzales refuse to resign voluntarily. Washington Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal also confirmed she would vote in favor of expulsion, noting that the move is critical to send a message to all congressional staff across Capitol Hill that workplace abuse will not be ignored, even when committed by sitting members of Congress.
While California Democratic Representative Ro Khanna stopped short of explicitly committing to support an expulsion motion, he joined other lawmakers in condemning the alleged behavior. “There needs to be consequences to that,” Khanna said. “And I have said not only does he need to step aside, there needs to a House ethics investigation and a law enforcement investigation.” He added that Gonzales also needs to leave office immediately.
The calls for both lawmakers to resign or be expelled have garnered bipartisan support, breaking along typical party lines. New York Republican Representative Mike Lawler emphasized, “Congress must hold itself to the highest ethical standard, regardless of party.” Florida Republican Representative Byron Donalds told NBC News, “That vote comes to the floor, I will be voting yes on both measures… As far as I am concerned, both gentlemen need to go home.”
Florida Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna confirmed Saturday that she plans to officially introduce a motion to expel Swalwell from the House. The BBC has reached out to spokespeople for both Swalwell and Gonzales to request additional comment on the growing demands.
Expulsion from the U.S. House of Representatives is an extremely rare step in congressional history, requiring a two-thirds majority vote from all members present and voting when the motion is considered. Over the 237-year history of the chamber, only six sitting members have ever been removed via expulsion.
The allegations against Swalwell come at a particularly critical juncture for the California gubernatorial race, which is a wide-open Democratic primary with no clear frontrunner after the collapse of Swalwell’s campaign. Postal ballots are set to be mailed to voters in just a few weeks, leaving little time for the race to reconfigure amid the unfolding controversy.