Shameless Gavin Newsom pleads with supporters to send him $35 each after disgraced Rep. Eric Swalwell was accused of rape

By JAMES CIRRONE, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:13, 17 April 2026 | Updated: 00:16, 17 April 2026 California Governor Gavin Newsom has asked his supporters to send his political action committee $35 each in the wake of Rep. Eric Swalwell's resignation from Congress. Swalwell, a Democrat, stepped down from his seat on Tuesday after he was accused of rape by a former female staffer. Three other women alleged that he sexually harassed them. On Wednesday, Newsom sent out a fundraising email that mentioned Swalwell, who represented California's 14th District in the Bay Area. There will now be a special election to replace him on August 18. 'The people of California’s 14th District deserve representation in the House as soon as possible, and with a very slim Republican majority in Congress I was not going to give Mike Johnson even a single extra day before filling this seat,' Newsom's email said. The email, according to the New York Post, asked fellow Democrats to donate $35 to Campaign for Democracy PAC, which is affiliated with Newsom. Prior to the accusations against Swalwell, he was running in the gubernatorial primary and was quickly emerging as a front-runner in a crowded field. Newsom had been silent about the sexual misconduct allegations until Sunday, hours before Swalwell withdrew from the California governor's race. 'As we continue to learn more, these allegations from multiple sources are deeply troubling and must be taken seriously,' Newsom said in a statement. California Governor Gavin Newsom sent out a fundraising email in the wake of Eric Swalwell resigning from Congress over the sexual misconduct allegations. He asked fellow Democrats to send $35 each to his own political action committee (Newsom is pictured with wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom at White House dinner for the nation's governors on February 24, 2024) Swalwell has been accused by five different women of varying levels of misconduct, ranging from harassment to rape. He strongly denies the allegations against him Newsom's wife, gender activist and actress Jennifer Siebel Newsom, has not said anything publicly about the accusations against Swalwell. Earlier this month, she implied that President Donald Trump was sexist because the two most prominent people he has fired so far - former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi - were women. Before Swalwell dropped out, Newsom refused to endorse anyone in the race to succeed him. He still does not plan to do so. 'California has always benefited from a depth of talent and vision within our Democratic Party, and this upcoming race for governor is no exception,' Newsom told the Post in a statement. 'The field represents a diverse group of leaders who are deeply committed to continuing our state’s progress, and I have full confidence that voters will choose a candidate who reflects the values and direction Californians believe in,' he added. Privately, Newsom has commented on some of the candidates. According to CNN, he has said billionaire Tom Steyer would be too wishy-washy ideologically and believes former Rep. Katie Porter could cause a private sector contraction in California. Swalwell, no longer a congressman or an actively running politician, has strongly denied the allegations against him and plans to fight them in court if necessary. He is facing at least three different probes into his alleged conduct with women. A source confirmed to The Hill on Thursday that the Department of Justice has opened an investigation. Pictured: Swalwell at a campaign stop part of his bid to be California's next governor on April 7, 2026. Three days later, the San Francisco Chronicle published an account of a former staffer who said Swalwell sexually assaulted her twice Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, set up a tip line to solicit information about allegations against Swalwell.  'If you hear about someone who was allegedly drugging, choking, raping victims, who has lived in this district for a significant period of time, I would expect there would be victims who might have information,' Pirro said in a video posted to X. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is investigating the allegation that Swalwell drugged and raped a former staffer of his after a charity gala in New York City. And after a fifth woman, Lonna Drewes, came forward to accuse Swalwell of raping her in a West Hollywood hotel in July 2018, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has confirmed it is investigating the report.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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