NY Times: “How California Democrats Got Behind Swalwell — and Quickly Abandoned Him”

Pigs fly: The Republicans now have a real shot at winning the California Governorship as Swalwell suspends his campaign.

Evidently many people know about the sexual assault allegations.

This NYT article is a look at how real power politics works.

Representative Eric Swalwell entered the race to become California’s next governor with a splashy debut on late-night TV in November. Jimmy Kimmel introduced him as a popular congressman who “does battle daily with the forces of MAGA — and the president does not like him at all.”

If Californians knew anything about Mr. Swalwell, that was it.

Mr. Swalwell, a Democrat, had no experience in state government and few connections with leaders in a State Capitol run by his party. What he had was a media profile as a Trump antagonist, burnished by years of appearances on news shows that made him more familiar to voters than most of his competitors.

Mr. Swalwell, 45, quickly ascended past Democrats whose campaigns had failed to catch fire, in a vast state where it is notoriously difficult to break through without celebrity status or money. By March, he had won over much of the Democratic establishment and the influential groups that shape California politics.

But it all came crashing down on Friday when four women accused him of sexual misconduct in news reports, including allegations that he had twice sexually assaulted a former staff member when she was intoxicated.