The resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) bring the House to a 217–213 Republican majority.
Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) have each formally tendered their resignations from Congress, effective immediately, as both men face accusations of sexual and marital misconduct.
Swalwell’s resignation comes after facing allegations of sexual assault by multiple women, including former staffers. He had announced on April 13 his intention to leave Congress. Gonzales, facing allegations of an extramarital affair, announced on the same day that he would do the same.
On April 14, the House Press Gallery confirmed that both resignations had been received.
“In light of the resignations of [Swalwell] and [Gonzales], the whole number of the House is 431 (217 Republicans, 213 Democrats, 1 Independent, 4 vacancies),” the House Press Gallery wrote in a post on X.
For House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), the resignations won’t have much impact on Republicans’ political calculus: Johnson can still spare only a single defection on party-line votes, a spot often claimed by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
Swalwell
The allegations against Swalwell have garnered greater national attention, as the California Democrat was previously the frontrunner among Democrats in the California gubernatorial election, which does not hold partisan primaries but instead allows the two top vote-getters in the primary to advance to the general election in November.
Scheduled for June 2, this first round is just around six weeks away.
On April 10, the San Francisco Chronicle reported allegations from an unnamed former employee who said that Swalwell had sexually assaulted her on two occasions, including while she was employed by him, when she was heavily intoxicated. Swalwell has denied the allegations. The Epoch Times has not verified the allegations against Swalwell.
The congressman faced pressure from fellow Democrats to withdraw from the California gubernatorial race. He did so on April 12, acceding to pressure from Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a kingmaker in California politics, to leave the race.
The next day, Swalwell announced that he would also resign his seat in Congress this week as he faced the prospect of a probe by the House Ethics Committee.
“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell wrote in a post on X. “I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”
By Joseph Lord
