In a dual blow to the 119th Congress, Representatives Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX) announced their resignations on Monday, April 13, following a series of escalating sexual misconduct allegations. The departures of the two 45-year-old lawmakers mark a rare moment of bipartisan upheaval triggered by separate, high-profile scandals involving former staffers and explicit communications.
The announcement from Swalwell, once the frontrunner in the California gubernatorial race, follows his Sunday decision to suspend his campaign for governor. On Monday, he confirmed he would vacate his seat in California’s 14th congressional district.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Eric-Swalwell-1-041326-8da780f2997d4b9a951115bca40f4665.jpg)
The resignation comes after four women, including a former staffer, accused the congressman of sexual assault. Ally Sammarco, a content creator, publicly alleged that Swalwell sent her unsolicited explicit photos via Snapchat in 2021.
A more severe allegation surfaced via The San Francisco Chronicle, where an anonymous former staffer claimed she woke up naked in Swalwell’s hotel bed in 2019 after becoming intoxicated during drinks with the congressman. She further alleged a second assault occurred in 2024.
In a statement on X, Swalwell apologized for “mistakes in judgment” but vowed to fight what he termed “false allegations.” He cited the threat of an immediate expulsion vote as a factor in his departure:
“It’s wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.”
Roughly an hour after Swalwell’s announcement, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) confirmed he would file for retirement effective Tuesday. While Gonzales framed his departure through a lens of faith and service, his exit follows intense scrutiny regarding his relationship with former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who died by suicide in 2025.
Reports from the San Antonio Express-News recently detailed explicit text messages allegedly sent by Gonzales to Santos-Aviles during a 2020 primary runoff, in which he reportedly requested nude photographs. While Gonzales had previously decided not to seek reelection, his immediate retirement accelerates his exit from the Capitol.
The sudden vacancies in the 14th district of California and the 23rd district of Texas leave leadership in both parties scrambling.
- Due Process Concerns: Swalwell’s statement criticized the speed of the house proceedings, arguing that expulsion votes without “due process” within days of an allegation are a dangerous precedent.
- Legislative Continuity: Swalwell indicated he would work with his staff in the coming days to ensure constituent services continue during the transition.
As of Monday afternoon, leadership for both the Democratic and Republican caucuses have not issued formal statements regarding the timing of special elections to fill the vacated seats.
