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How Eric Swalwell’s implosion changes the race for governor

If you thought political cancellations could move fast, Congressman Eric Swalwell just set a new standard.If you tuned out California politics for one Friday afternoon, you missed the destruction of a gubernatorial campaign.

In a matter of hours Swalwell went from one of the Democrats in the race for governor to a politically toxic candidate fighting for survival.That is how fast this happened.The collapse began when the San Francisco Chronicle reported allegations from a former staffer who said she had sexual encounters with Swalwell while he was her boss and alleged he twice sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent. Swalwell flatly denied the allegations. Since then, several other former staffers have come forward with allegations.

Politically, the damage was immediate.His two campaign co-chairs, Democratic Reps. Jimmy Gomez and Adam Gray, stepped away and called on him to leave the race. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called on Swalwell to drop out and demanded a swift House investigation. Nancy Pelosi said the matter should be handled outside a gubernatorial campaign. US Sen. Adam Schiff pulled his support. US Sen. Ruben Gallego did the same. Dozens of other Democratic politicians followed suit. The California Teachers Association dropped its endorsement. SEIU California suspended campaign activity on his behalf.That is not just bad press. That is a political collapse.Other Democrats piled on. Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, Betty Yee, and Matt Mahan all called on Swalwell to get out. Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco did the same. 

By day’s end, this was no longer a story about damage control. 

It........

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