Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said he wants to hear Rep. Eric Swalwell’s “side of the story” before “weighing in” on the 2026 gubernatorial race in California.
Swalwell is facing growing calls to suspend his campaign for governor as he faces sexual assault allegations, which he denies. Warner said he’s seen the reports against the congressman, whom he has only met “once or twice.”
“I want to hear his side of the story, but obviously, if any of these allegations are true, um, uh, he should no longer be a candidate, at least candidate for governor,” Warner said on CNN’s State of the Union. “But again, I don‘t know any of the facts, and I‘m a little old-fashioned. I feel like I ought to hear the facts before I start weighing in.”
Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA), meanwhile, said Swalwell needs to withdraw from the race and “resign” over the “absolutely heinous” accusations. When asked to clarify if Swalwell needs to resign from his seat in Congress, Vindman replied, “Yes.”
Across the political aisle, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said on NBC’s Meet the Press that he would vote to expel both Swalwell and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX). The Texas lawmaker dropped his reelection bid after admitting to his affair with former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, and Donalds said “Both gentlemen need to go home.”
Swalwell said the allegations against him are “absolutely false,” and vowed to fight them “with everything that I have.” The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, led by Alvin Bragg, has opened an investigation into Swalwell over the allegations.
EX-STAFFER CLAIMS SWALWELL SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER. HE DENIES ALLEGATIONS
Polling data by EVITARUS among 1,200 likely primary voters in California’s gubernatorial election put Swalwell in second place at 12%, behind Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Riverside County Chad Bianco. The data was collected from March 31 to April 5, before the allegations against Swalwell became public and before President Donald Trump endorsed Hilton.
The Washington Examiner contacted Swalwell’s campaign for comment.