Swalwell Suspends Campaign for Governor

I was wrong to support Eric Swalwell.

I misjudged his character, or at the very least I gave him more benefit of the doubt than he deserved. The recent allegations against him, the rapid collapse of support around his campaign, and his decision to suspend his run for governor have changed the picture completely. Swalwell denies the allegations, but the allegations themselves are serious, the fallout has been swift, and the damage is real. When a politician reaches this point, especially one asking to lead a state as big and important as California, that is not some side issue to be brushed away. It goes directly to judgment, morality, and fitness for office.

That is why I am glad he suspended his campaign for governor. At this point, that was the bare minimum. California needs serious leadership, not a candidate drowning in scandal and trying to separate his public ambitions from a personal crisis that has now become the defining story around him. When even people close to the situation start creating distance, that tells you plenty. It tells you this is no longer about partisan loyalty or political positioning. It is about whether a public figure has the character and credibility to continue asking for trust.

And in my opinion, it should not stop with ending the governor’s campaign.

I hope to see Swalwell resign from Congress as soon as possible. Public office is not an entitlement, and it is certainly not something a politician should cling to while facing allegations this serious and this politically corrosive. California Democrats have other options. Congress has other voices. Whatever Swalwell may once have represented politically, that version of him is gone now.

I was wrong to support him.