Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales set to face expulsion votes over misconduct allegations

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) plans to force a vote to expel Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) next week over https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-am-80cf4475-2fbf-4721-96c7-9e8ff7e1e252" target="_blank">sexual assault and misconduct allegations, Axios has learned.

Swalwell denies the allegations.

Why it matters: Democrats are set to respond by moving in turn to expel Rep. https://www.axios.com/2026/03/04/house-ethics-investigation-tony-gonzales-affair" target="_blank">Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who's being investigated by House Ethics over sexual misconduct allegations, two Democratic leadership aides told Axios.

• Swalwell has faced calls from Democratic Party leaders and House colleagues to drop his bid for California governor, though few have called for his outright resignation or expulsion from Congress.
• Swalwell said in a https://x.com/RepSwalwell/status/2042800069334962405?s=20" target="_blank">video posted to social media on Saturday: "These allegations of sexual assault are flat false.

  They are absolutely false.

  They did not happen, they never happened."

• Gonzales, who has dropped his bid for reelection, https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/04/tony-gonzales-admits-affair-staffer-suicide-texas-23rd-district-congress/" target="_blank">admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, calling it a "lapse in judgment."

Driving the news: The San Francisco Chronicle https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/eric-swalwell-allegations-22198271.php" target="_blank">reported Friday that a former staffer accused Swalwell of sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions, including a first instance in 2019.

• Shortly after the Chronicle story published, CNN ran a https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/10/us/eric-swalwell-sexual-misconduct-allegations-invs" target="_blank">detailed report with four women accusing Swalwell of various acts of sexual misconduct.
• In his denial video, Swalwell apologized to his wife for unspecified mistakes.

State of play: Swalwell is shedding endorsements fast, with even Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), one of his campaign chairs, rescinding his support.

• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have called for Swalwell to end his gubernatorial campaign.
• Swalwell's page on the Democratic fundraising site ActBlue was also https://x.com/rpyers/status/2042751381270884416?s=20" target="_blank">pulled down on Friday.

The bottom line: If those expulsion votes succeed, it could trigger a chain reaction, one of the Democrats leadership aides and a senior House Democrat told Axios.

• That could involve members forcing expulsion votes against Reps. https://www.axios.com/2026/03/27/sheila-cherfilus-mccormick-guilty-ethics-trial" target="_blank">Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and https://www.axios.com/2025/11/19/house-ethics-investigation-rep-cory-mills" target="_blank">Cory Mills (R-Fla.), they said.
• But these votes require a two-thirds majority to pass, and lawmakers have tended to stop short of expelling members in the absence of a criminal conviction or a completed House Ethics Committee process.