California governor candidates spar to get ahead after Eric Swalwell dropped out

2026 ElectionCalifornia governor candidates spar to get ahead after Eric Swalwell dropped outFour Democrats and two Republicans met for their first debate since the former congressman pulled out of the race after facing sexual assault allegations.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Candidates in California's gubernatorial race participated in an April 22 debate in San Francisco.Jason Henry / Pool via APShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 23, 2026, 1:03 AM EDTBy Natasha KoreckiFormer Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell may have dropped out of the California gubernatorial race amid sexual misconduct allegations, but his scandal was still at issue in the first debate since his exit.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.On Wednesday night, moderators turned the spotlight on Swalwell’s former colleague in the House, Xavier Becerra, asking what he knew about Swalwell’s behavior and whether he should have done something about it when Becerra was chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Becerra, who most recently served as President Joe Biden's health and human services secretary, was asked about his remarks in a recent interview that he had heard “rumors” about Swalwell. “You hear rumors all the time about all sorts of things. Rumors are not facts, and the … Democratic caucus is not the place that adjudicates those things,” Becerra said Wednesday night. Becerra served as chair of the House Democratic Caucus from 2013 to 2017. “It’s law enforcement who does. If someone had come forward, then we could then have investigations,” he added. Matt Mahan, left, and Xavier Becerra, candidates in California's gubernatorial race, shake hands during the debate.Jason Henry / Pool via APSwalwell, who had been leading a field of Democrats in the primary contest for governor, exited the race less than two weeks ago after sexual assault allegations also forced his resignation from Congress. President Donald...