California political insiders ‘should feel dirty and disgusted’ for blindly supporting Eric Swalwell

Rumors about Eric Swalwell’s affairs have swirled through California’s political circles for years, but the indiscretions were largely ignored as the Bay Area congressman surged to the front of the 2026 governor’s race.

The whispered affairs — described by some political operatives as an “open secret” — failed to slow the consolidation of institutional support around Swalwell, as large labor unions and key figures in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orbit began aligning themselves with the ardent critic of President Trump.

But in the last week, Swalwell’s career has been decimated, and the governor’s race upended after women came forward with allegations of rape, sexual assault, and other sexual misconduct. Swalwell went from the top of the Democratic field last Friday to suspending his campaign, resigning from office, and becoming the focus of criminal investigations in New York and Los Angeles.

A question many are now asking is how someone could have allegedly led such a sinister life — Swalwell denies any criminal activity — while receiving support from so many institutional political players.

The answer underscores a familiar pattern in California politics: cash is king.

“When you worship the almighty dollar, it’s easy to let rape allegations go by the wayside,” said Michael Trujillo, a Democratic political consultant in Los Angeles.

Among those in Newsom’s extended political network who engaged with or supported Swalwell were Bearstar Strategies partners Ace Smith, Sean Clegg and Juan Rodriguez, whose firm helped launch an independent expenditure committee backing him, according to reporting by Politico and the Los Angeles Times.

Another Newsom ally, Jim DeBoo, led a separate effort targeting progressive billionaire Tom Steyer, who’s dropped more than $100 million on the race and is now leading the pack among Democratic candidates.

Additional figures tied to Newsom’s political apparatus — including Courtni Pugh, Lindsey Cobia and Jason Elliott — had varying levels of involvement with Swalwell’s campaign before quickly distancing themselves as allegations surfaced.

“Everyone who worked on Eric Swalwell’s campaign should feel dirty and disgusted every time they look in the mirror,” Trujillo told The Post. “I hope they’re buying Pepto Bismol in bulk.”

Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, told the Times she confronted Swalwell after hearing rumors, but the issue never surfaced during formal endorsement deliberations. 

“He’s a liar,” Gonzalez told The Times. “He’s just a very skillful politician who did not tell the truth even when asked directly.”

Other Democrats have acknowledged that warning signs may not have been scrutinized as closely as they should have been.

The political calculus was shaped in part by the absence of higher-profile contenders. Former Vice President Kamala Harris was seen as a field-clearing candidate, but she instead chose to sit out the race. Efforts to recruit figures such as U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla or state Attorney General Rob Bonta also stalled, leaving party leaders searching for a candidate who could unify the party and win.

Steve Maviglio, a Democratic political strategist, told The Post that Newsom’s political operatives might have gone to Steyer had the billionaire not recruited the campaign staff of lefty New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

“Steyer’s campaign apparatus was lifted wholesale from Mamdani, so there was no room for Newsom’s orbit,” Maviglio said.

“They’re very tied to Sacramento interests, and it was natural for them to gravitate to the leading candidate at the time.”

Many of Newsom’s political operatives did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment.

Newsom’s allies are now reevaluating the field, according to Politico, with some turning their attention to former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, while others remain aligned with candidates such as Steyer and former congresswoman Katie Porter.

The last week has left Democratic leaders facing uncomfortable questions about whether ambition and momentum led them to ignore credible concerns.

“Everybody had blinders on,” Maviglio said, “because they were looking for the best fighter to stand up to Trump.”

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