California governor candidates see opening after Swalwell’s exit
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Prominent candidates running for California governor gathered Tuesday for the first time since the dramatic downfall of U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell over sexual assault allegations, making only brief references to the scandal that has shaken up the wide-open race just weeks before voting begins.
Five leading Democrats and one prominent Republican participated in the Sacramento forum, sticking mostly to their campaign talking points and laying out their plans to make California more affordable and friendlier to businesses. Only two mentioned Swalwell, a Democrat who had been a leading candidate.
Speaking to reporters afterward, some made more critical comments about Swalwell as they pitched themselves to voters frustrated by the soaring cost of gas, power and groceries.
“He was leading in the race. Why? Because we went after the first shiny object,” former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, said of Swalwell. He said Swalwell's exit offered “a reset” in the race.
Conservative commentator Steve Hilton, a leading Republican candidate who’s endorsed by President Donald Trump, said the scandal was proof the Democratic party was in disarray.
“This Democratic Party has been in power for so long, they really are collapsing now into confusion, chaos and scandal,” he said. “We’re desperate for change.”
Swalwell suspended his campaign on Sunday and the next day said he would resign from Congress following allegations published in the San Francisco Chronicle and later by CNN that he sexually assaulted a woman. Another woman on Tuesday told reporters Swalwell raped her. He has disputed both claims.
Swalwell's abrupt exit has sent other candidates scrambling to seize on the opportunity to capture his supporters and break through in the crowded race to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. More than 50 candidates are taking part in the June 2 primary.
Democrats have feared for months that the large field of candidates dividing the vote could result in the party being locked out of the November election, with only Republicans appearing on the general election ballot under a quirk in the state's election rules.
Republicans, meanwhile, have yet to settle on a preferred candidate. While Trump has endorsed Hilton, Republicans at a state convention did not endorse a gubernatorial candidate, with Hilton splitting support with Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff.
It's difficult to predict where Swalwell's supporters will go, and it's possible they could scatter across the field of seven established Democrats remaining in the race, with some voters losing interest in the contest.
San Jose’s Democratic Mayor Matt Mahan, running in his first statewide election, said Tuesday that his focus was on showing voters he can deliver results.
“The antidote to what we see in our politics today — the rising populism on the right and the left, candidates who run on ego and celebrity, whether it’s Donald Trump or Eric Swalwell — is competent leadership,” Mahan said.
Billionaire hedge fund manager-turned-liberal activist Tom Steyer has tapped his personal fortune to blanket media with ads. Villaraigosa is trying for a comeback after he flopped in a 2018 run for governor, and former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter is among the leading Democrats after she fell short in a 2024 run for U.S. Senate.
Porter was not at Tuesday's forum, nor was Bianco.
While Swalwell has suspended his campaign, his name cannot be removed from the ballot.
In Sacramento, a handful of state lawmakers quickly switched their support from Swalwell to Steyer.
“Obviously there was a big change in this election and so people are trying to figure out what to do and they’re talking to people, including me,” Steyer said Tuesday.
Democratic Assemblymember Nick Schultz said he believes Steyer will put in the work to form strong relationships with the legislature. Steyer’s business background — he has never held public office — means he’ll challenge the status quo, Schultz added.
Democratic Assemblymember Corey Jackson said he wanted to back a candidate who had a legitimate chance of winning. He said in a statement that he and Steyer shared a “commitment to building an economy rooted in dignity for working people.”
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