Daily Kos

What happens to California’s governor race without Eric Swalwell?

Emily Singer — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:01:02 -0700

Rep. Eric Swalwell's California gubernatorial campaign—and career in Congress—appear to be over after the Democratic lawmaker suspended his campaign and announced his resignation following a spate of disturbing sexual assault allegations from multiple women and former aides.

Given that Swalwell had been the front-runner in the contest, his exit from the race upends what has so far been a messy affair, with more than a half-dozen Democrats vying for the chance to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Rep. Eric Swalwell’s run for governor is over.

Until now, the big fear in Democratic circles was that the party could blow the race entirely, as the crowded primary field risked locking Democrats out of the general election altogether. That's because California has a jungle primary, in which all candidates regardless of party ID run on the same ballot. And with the Democratic vote getting cut in so many different ways, two Republicans could have advanced to the general.

But with Swalwell out, the odds of a Democratic lockout have dropped—especially given that President Donald Trump endorsed one of the two GOP candidates, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, likely consolidating the Republican vote behind his chosen nominee.

The biggest question that remains now is which Democratic candidate stands to benefit from Swalwell's exit.

Polls before Swalwell's scandal showed that billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer and former Rep. Katie Porter were neck-in-neck to be the second-place Democrat in the race.

Former Rep. Katie Porter.

Steyer, for his part, has the advantage of money. And given that California is the largest state in the country, as well as one of the most expensive to run a statewide campaign thanks to its vast size and expensive media markets, that is not a factor to discount.

Steyer has already given $121 million to his campaign, $90 million of which he spent on television advertising. That could absolutely boost him to victory in the June 2 primary.

Porter is more of a known name in California politics, having represented an Orange County-based House seat for three terms, and running a statewide race for Senate in 2024—which she ultimately lost in the primary to now-Sen. Adam Schiff.

However, she has struggled to raise money this time around, taking in roughly $6 million in donations from July through December, according to the BallotBook. While that sounds like a lot, it's a pittance in California, where television ads cost a fortune in expensive media markets like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

What’s more, Porter has her own baggage. Early on in her gubernatorial bid, she was exposed as a nasty boss who berated employees in her congressional office. She also showed her temper in an interview with a local television reporter, threatening to end an on-camera interview over a dumb yet otherwise benign question.

Something to watch is what the many congressional Democrats who had endorsed Swalwell's campaign will do now. Do they coalesce behind one of the Democratic candidates in the race, helping build momentum for that person? Do they splinter, watering down their impact? Or do they sit out altogether?

Meanwhile, a poll also circulated after the Swalwell scandal broke asking if voters would be open to former Vice President Kamala Harris running a write-in gubernatorial campaign. There’s no sign that Harris herself was behind the survey, nor that she would embark on a difficult write-in campaign. But it’s something people are talking about.

Ultimately, a lot can happen in the seven weeks between now and the primary. But Steyer's money gives him an advantage that makes him a difficult candidate to beat.

JD Vance is cursed, and the pope won’t stand for Trump’s sh-t

Daily Kos Staff — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:00:01 -0700

A daily roundup of the best stories and cartoons by Daily Kos staff and contributors to keep you in the know.

Everything JD Vance touches turns to sh-t

His anti-Midas touch has really ramped up this past week.

Pope Leo swats away Trump's blasphemous meltdown

In the battle of Trump vs. pope, only Trump can lose.

Hang up: What ever happened to Trump phones?

D.T. phone no?

Trump's size envy finds new, tacky outlet

Surprisingly, no mentions of Arnold Palmer’s impressive equipment.

Mean tweets

Just take the phone away!

GOP stoops to new racist low to defend Trump’s war

One House Republican dusts off a vintage slur.

How Trump’s sloppy moves could cost Republicans the Senate

Unironically—thank you, Donald Trump.

GOP lawmaker wants to ‘hang’ predators—if they’re Democrats

Wonder what inspired that carveout …

Click here to see more cartoons.

The Iran talks

Nick Anderson — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:59:03 -0700

Consider supporting my work so I can continue creating it:

Substack: https://nickanderson.substack.com/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/editorialcartoons

Ko-Fi: https://www.patreon.com/c/editorialcartoonsCartoon

Melania Trump emerges from the shadows—with nothing to offer

Lisa Needham — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:30:18 -0700

It’s tough to divine what’s going on in the mind of first lady Melania Trump.

While she doesn’t miss an opportunity to get in on the family grift, Melania Trump also seems to have convinced herself that she is the new and vital voice of her husband’s political priorities—and that she deserves all the attention and money coming her way. She is dabbling in foreign policy, artificial intelligence, and foster care while promoting all her hagiographic media efforts.

So, as we breathlessly await her appearance on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, where she is slated to talk about how she will improve foster care, let’s run down her recent attempts to remind us she exists and convince us she is important.

First, Melania might have wanted to check in with Donald before scheduling her little foster care jamboree, given his efforts to harm that system. In January, he tried to freeze Social Services Block Grants to blue states he was accusing of fraud. Those grants support foster care funding and placement, so trying to block that doesn’t exactly indicate a great care for the foster care system.

But maybe Melania doesn’t want to talk to her hubby that much. How else do you explain her bizarre, unexpected presser last week about accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein? During that, she spoke out about the “individuals lying about me” who are “devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect,” and how she was never close to Epstein or his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and besides, how dare you! This seems to have been undertaken without briefing her husband about the contents of her speech—and it served only to vault Epstein stories back into the news.

Melania also clearly wants some recognition as a key mover and shaker who can hobnob with elected officials worldwide while promoting Trump’s initiatives. She was given a makework job to make her feel special, leading the “Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit.” This was somehow supposed to help youth worldwide, though it seemed to actually be just a way to get Big Tech in the room with foreign leaders to push their AI wares.

First lady Melania Trump arrives, accompanied by a robot, to attend the "Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit," with other first spouses, at the White House, on March 25.

But she couldn’t even keep it together to do her fake job, showing up for a whopping 7 minutes on the first day. On the second day, she made it about an hour but only in the company of her robot friend.

And then there are her media efforts, which she seems to believe were bestowed upon her because people are genuinely interested in her deep thoughts. This requires her to ignore that her documentary amounted to nothing but a $75 million bribe to Trump by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Melania nonetheless rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange the day before the film’s premiere, bragging that it was a “window” into history: “For the first time in history, people will witness the 20 days leading up to the inauguration, through the eyes of an incoming first lady.”

To be fair, Melania had to be the one to promote the movie because Amazon didn’t release advance screeners and canceled public advance screenings, perhaps because advance sales sucked.

Then there was her memoir, for which she had an AI version of her voice read the audiobook. Though she declared this was “A NEW ERA IN PUBLISHING,” it more so represented the fact that she couldn’t even be bothered to read her own book out loud.

You can now get a “collector’s edition” of the book for a mere $250, which she introduced with a sizzle reel explaining how “as a private person,” she needed to “clarify the facts.” However, the trailer was mostly pictures of Melania in various outfits interspersed with a few scenes of her surrounded by children.

All of this is a long way from her pushing tacky Christmas ornaments on Fox News.

Even the GOP is probably hoping she keeps Wednesday’s Hill visit to the 7 minutes she allowed for “Fostering the Future.” No one can honestly believe she’ll say something of substance.

Or maybe she can just send the robot in her stead? It might stick around a little longer, and Lord knows it might have more to say.

GOP lawmaker announces 'retirement' after admitting to affair with staffer

Associated Press — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:01:08 -0700

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said Monday he will retire from Congress amid bipartisan calls to expel him.

Gonzales had already said he would not seek reelection after admitting to an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide. His announcement came just hours after Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California said he would be resigning from Congress as he also confronted allegations of sexual misconduct.

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, who also announced his resignation from Congress amid sexual assault allegations.

House Republican leaders had already called on the three-term Gonzales to not seek reelection, and the House Ethics Committee had initiated an investigation. Under House ethics rules, lawmakers may not engage in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House under their supervision.

“There is a season for everything, and God has a plan for us all,” Gonzales said in a social media post. “When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office.”

He said it has been a privilege “to serve the great people of Texas.” He gave no further details on his plans to step down.

Swalwell’s downfall: Inside the onetime rising star's political implosion

Alix Breeden — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:30:20 -0700

“I am suspending my campaign for Governor,” Rep. Eric Swalwell of California wrote on X Sunday. “To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.”

California gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., talks with reporters after holding a town hall meeting in Sacramento on April 7.

That was followed by a Monday announcement that he was resigning from Congress altogether, a stunning turn of events as multiple sexual assault accusations felled his once-promising bid to lead the Golden State.

But while the state of California’s gubernatorial race is up in the air, there’s still a bit of whiplash from how Swalwell’s political career went from what appeared to be an upward trajectory to a conceded pile of ash in a matter of days.

Here’s some help understanding how it all went down, for those of you who managed to stay remotely offline and need a recap.

This all started on Friday when—within hours of each other—both the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN released exclusive stories detailing claims that Swalwell, a married father of three, had assaulted women.

Four women claimed that Swalwell sent sexually explicit images to them via Snapchat, a messaging service where images and messages are automatically deleted after a certain period of time.

Some of these relationships began through Swalwell reaching out via social media.

One former staffer alleged that Swalwell raped her in 2024 after a night of drinking. Recalling the night, she said was “heavily toxicated,” physically injured, and repeatedly told him to stop.

The assault reportedly left her with bruises, cuts, and bleeding to her body.

In another instance while working for Swalwell, the woman claims she woke up from a night of drinking in 2019 naked in a hotel room with the congressman. According to the outlet, she has no memory of the night’s events, but could feel physically that something happened.

On Saturday, a day after the news reports broke, prosecutors in New York City launched a criminal investigation.

Similarly, the House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it had opened an investigation into the congressman “with respect to allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including towards an employee working under his supervision.”

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Almost immediately, the California native’s campaign crew began thinning out. Staffers dropped out en masse and top institutions and political groups pulled their endorsements.

Lawmakers who were previous allies called for Swalwell to be investigated. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who will make her exit from her long-held seat this year, was one of them.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Rep. Eric Swalwell speak to Rep. John Lewis on Nov. 28, 2018.

“This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability,” she said in a statement obtained by Politico. “As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

But in a curveball moment, a day after the stories hit the newsstands and home pages, what appeared to be damning videos of Swalwell began circulating as well.

On Saturday, former pharma bro Martin Shkreli—yes, that Martin Shkreli—tweeted what may or may not be a real video of the congressman kissing a young woman in a hotel room. Soon after, a second video was released from the same night.

In a very 2026 dilemma, it’s unclear whether or not this video is genuine or if it was generated by artificial intelligence. Swalwell has not spoken to the legitimacy of the footage.

In the comments, Shkreli says that he “knows the photographer” in a bid to push back against AI claims, but it’s still unclear if the content is legitimate.

Regardless of the video’s origins, Swalwell is facing a mountain of accusations and damage control. And as California’s jungle primary quickly approaches with Swalwell’s name still on the ballot, the full repercussions of the East Bay lawmaker’s sordid actions remain to be seen.

Rep. Eric Swalwell says he will resign from Congress after sexual assault allegations

Associated Press — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:17:14 -0700

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California announced Monday he will resign from Congress following multiple sexual assault allegations that prompted loud bipartisan calls for him to step down.

The decision caps a swift political fall for the seven-term lawmaker, who had been seen as a frontrunner in California’s gubernatorial race before dropping out as the allegations surfaced, claims he has continued to deny.

pic.twitter.com/JbKgSORgu4
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) April 13, 2026

The San Francisco Chronicle, followed by CNN, first reported allegations that Swalwell had sexually assaulted a woman twice, including when she worked for him. CNN also reported that three other women alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by Swalwell—including sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.

“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell said on social media. “I will fight the serious false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”

The House Ethics Committee had begun an investigation into whether Swalwell engaged in sexual misconduct toward an employee working under his supervision, the panel announced Monday. The announcement came one day after Swalwell suspended his campaign for California governor.s

Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks at a town hall on April 7 in Sacramento, Calif.

Several Democrats had called on him to step aside. Swalwell wrote in a statement posted to social media that he was “aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote” and that it was “wrong” without due process.

“But it's also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress,” Swalwell wrote.

Swalwell’s planned departure will trigger a special election in his district, located outside San Francisco, which he won by over 30 percentage points in 2024. In California, the governor is responsible for calling a special election, which he must do “within 14 calendar days of the occurrence of the vacancy,” according to state election law.

The Ethics Committee said the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.

Not lovin' it: Trump's latest McDonald's stunt was a big miss

Walter Einenkel — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:00:06 -0700

President Donald Trump staged another bizarre press event outside of the White House on Monday to promote the GOP’s “no tax on tips” budget, beginning with “DoorDash grandma” Sharon Simmons delivering him McDonald’s.

TRUMP: “I think you voted for me?” DOOR DASH GRANDMA: “Uhhh… maybe.”😬
— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) 2026-04-13T17:15:25.136Z

Following his little stunt, Trump fielded questions about his decision to post—and then delete—an AI-generated picture of himself as Jesus on Truth Social.

“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross,” he said. “Only the fake news could come up with that one.”

YouTube Video

Trump added, “It's supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better. I make people a lot better.”

Meanwhile, the GOP’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which slashes hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid and drives up health care costs, suggests that the opposite is true.

Trump was then asked about conservative Catholic Bishop Robert Barron, who dared to call on Trump to apologize for attacking Pope Leo XIV on social media.

“Pope Leo said things that are wrong,” Trump said. “I'm just responding to Pope Leo, and you know his brother is a big MAGA person, and he's a great guy—Louis. And I said, ‘I like Louis better than I like the Pope.’”

YouTube Video

“There's nothing to apologize for—he's wrong,” he added.

A lightly humorous moment came when Trump tried to pull Simmons into bashing transgender athletes.

“They want to have men playing in women's sports,” he said. “Do you think that men should play in women's sports?”

“I really don't have an opinion on that,” she responded.

“You don't?” Trump responded. “I'll bet you do.”

“No,” Simmons answered more firmly. “I'm here about ‘no tax on tips.’”

YouTube Video

It turns out that a grandmother delivering fast food to brag about a few thousand dollars in savings—which was likely wiped out by health care costs—and refusing to play along with Trump’s dumb culture war made for one of the White House’s most honest events in recent memory.

Trump’s lame defamation lawsuit gets laughed out of court

Oliver Willis — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:00:03 -0700

President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, filed after the conservative publication reported on his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, was thrown out of federal court Monday.

U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles ruled that Trump failed to meet the legal standard for the allegation that the paper had acted with “actual malice”—knowingly publishing false information with reckless disregard for the truth—when it released the original story.

President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein are seen socializing at Mar-a-Lago in November 1992.

Gayles slammed Trump and his lawyers for relying on “formulaic” malice claims and said that the suit came “nowhere close” to meeting the high standards required for a public figure to claim defamation. He also noted that the Journal sought comment from Trump and spoke to Justice Department and FBI officials for the story.

Trump’s lawyers have said that they will refile the case.

Trump sued the Journal last July after it reported on a letter that he sent to Epstein, which included a lewd drawing of a woman’s body and referenced a “wonderful secret” that they shared. Trump has admitted to committing sexual assault and was found liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll.

The Journal’s report emerged as the Trump administration was furiously fighting bipartisan efforts to disclose the Epstein files. While campaigning, Trump promised that he would release the files, but he and former Attorney General Pam Bondi tried to keep them hidden.

Despite his efforts to bury the story, details have continued to emerge. Most recently, first lady Melania Trump gave a bizarre statement Friday where she, unprompted, denied having any connections to Epstein.

Trump’s suit against the Journal doesn’t appear to have impacted his relationship with its owner, billionaire Rupert Murdoch. The two have dined with each other on multiple occasions, and Trump remains the beneficiary of laudatory coverage from Fox News, which is also owned by Murdoch.

Trump’s attempts to intimidate the Journal are part of his fight against the First Amendment. But despite the many lawsuits, media consolidation to give GOP donors more power, and frequent thug tactics against reporters, Trump continues to lose this battle.

Oops: This Republican just realized she’s a massive hypocrite

Lisa Needham — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:00:21 -0700

GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida has always been a jack-of-all-trades type when it comes to calling for the harsh discipline of Democrats and any of President Donald Trump’s other foes.

So it wasn’t surprising that Luna declared on Saturday that she’s filing a motion to expel Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California over multiple allegations of sexual assault.

Luna isn’t wrong to call for the expulsion of Swalwell, who has withdrawn from the California gubernatorial race. But her alacrity in doing so really highlights the difference between Luna’s willingness to gun for Democrats while moving with tender care and deliberation to protect people like GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas.

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, who was accused of sexually assaulting multiple women.

It’s becoming clear that Luna is realizing how bad this looks, so now she’s trying to thread the needle.

“I will be inquiring in the morning with the house parliamentarian to see if I can pair my motion to expel Eric Swalwell with Rep Tony Gonzalez [sic],” she wrote on X Sunday. “Both NEED to go.”

Luna’s insistence that Gonzales must be expelled—rather than face a lesser punishment—is brand new, and it’s pretty clear that she realized her former stance on Gonzales was going to run headlong not just into her toughness on Democrats like Swalwell.

When news broke that Gonzales sexually harassed an aide who later died by suicide, Luna waited 10 days to muster up a weak resolution to remove Gonzalez from his committee assignments.

After even more came to light, Luna did say that she would support a resolution to expel him—but she paired it with Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, who was found to have violated House Ethics Committee rules.

“NO means NO. I’d vote to expel both him and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. Both need to go,” Luna said at the time.

Then when the Swalwell allegations came out shortly thereafter, Luna sprinted to Fox News, whining that it was “completely inappropriate” that Democrats had not yet demanded Swalwell’s removal—despite the fact that multiple Democrats swiftly called for him to step down.

GOP Rep. Tony Gonzalez of Texas, who demanded nude photos from a former aide who later died by suicide.

Former Rep. Katie Porter urged Swalwell to resign on Friday, and Rep. Jared Huffman did the same on Saturday. By Sunday—48 hours after the news broke—Reps. Ro Khanna, Sam Liccardo, Teresa Leger Fernández, and Pramila Jayapal also called for him to resign.

It appears that Luna realized just how bad this made her look, but she still can’t bring herself to simply call for Gonzales’ expulsion with the vim and vigor she has for Swalwell. That’s why she’s falling back on pretending that only the parliamentarian can green-light Gonzales’ expulsion.

Luna has always banged the drum to punish Democrats and any of Trump’s perceived enemies. She called for Sen. Adam Schiff of California to be censured for investigating Trump, demanded Merrick Garland be arrested for not answering a subpoena the way the GOP wanted, and referred a perjury charge to the Justice Department for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Swalwell’s actions are indefensible, but Luna is being an opportunist here—not someone who is genuinely outraged by powerful men abusing women.

All's fake in elections and war

Clay Bennett — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:59:03 -0700

A cartoon by Clay Bennett.

How Trump’s sloppy moves could cost Republicans the Senate

Emily Singer — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:00:14 -0700

When the 2026 midterm cycle began, even Democratic operatives would have laughed in your face if you said that control of the Senate was up for grabs.

But now, less than seven months from Election Day, Democrats' odds of wresting control from Republicans have grown as President Donald Trump's sagging popularity—spurred by Americans’ anger over his war and its negative impacts on the economy—imperils the GOP.

Roy Cooper, former governor of North Carolina and Democratic Senate candidate, seems poised to defeat GOP candidate Michael Whatley.

On Monday, the Cook Political Report moved four Senate race ratings toward Democrats, saying that the midterm cycle is proving to be tough for the GOP.

"With an increasingly sour national environment for Republicans, the Senate battlefield is shifting. We are shifting four ratings, all in Democrats’ favor," Cook editor Jessica Taylor wrote.

The most eye-popping change was in North Carolina's open-seat race, which Cook now predicts will flip in favor of Democrats—making it the only seat that’s projected to switch hands at this stage. Democratic nominee and former Gov. Roy Cooper seems poised to defeat GOP candidate Michael Whatley in a state that Trump won by more than 3 points in 2024.

But other changes are also shocking, as even the notion that Republicans could lose some of these seats was unfathomable when Trump first returned to office. Cook now says that the Senate contest in Ohio is a toss-up, even though Trump won the state by nearly 12 points in 2024.

Indeed, a super PAC with ties to Senate Majority Leader John Thune is set to spend the most money of any Senate race on Ohio—a major sign that even Republicans know that Trump's tariffs and Iran war have hit states hard.

Meanwhile, Cook shifted the Senate race in Georgia to lean Democrat, as Sen. Jon Ossoff seems to be in a strong position to defend his seat.

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia is projected to be the more likely candidate to win in his race.

To think that a state like Ohio would be more competitive than Georgia—which Trump carried by only 2 points in 2024—is a truly shocking development.

The last race that shifted was in Nebraska, where Cook moved it from a safe GOP seat to just likely Republican, as Sen. Pete Ricketts faces a serious challenge from independent Dan Osborn.

In fact, we know that Republicans are worried about this seat because they initially played dirty, trying to sneak a spoiler candidate into the race to boost Ricketts' chances. But now that their shameful actions failed, Ricketts' path to victory is more perilous.

With the new ratings changes, Cook says that Democrats are poised to gain between one to three Senate seats. That wouldn't be enough for a majority, but—given that Trump continues to show no signs of being able to fix the economy that he broke—there’s still plenty of time for things to get even bleaker for the GOP.

Thanks to Trump’s idiocy, control of the Senate is now very much up for grabs.