Some Californians still voted for disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) in the top-two gubernatorial primary, whose name still appeared on the ballot after he dropped out and resigned from Congress.
As of Wednesday, Swalwell received 18,602 votes, or roughly 0.4% of the vote in the extremely crowded field. There are still plenty of ballots left to be counted, as the election will not be certified until July 10, according to the California Secretary of State website.
He dropped out of the race on April 12, but ballots did not start getting mailed out in some parts of California until May 4, CapRadio reported.
The Democrat was once considered the top Democrat in the race, but then reports swirled about alleged inappropriate conduct, including sexual assault, against multiple women.
“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make,” Swalwell said when announcing his resignation, as he faced a potential expulsion vote in Congress.
Despite his April 14 resignation, Swalwell had remained defiant against the specific allegations made about him while apologizing for “mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.”
I am suspending my campaign for Governor.
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) April 13, 2026
To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.
I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.
“I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s,” he posted at the time.
Currently, the leaders in the top-two primary are Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra. The Cook Political Report ranks the race as Solid Democrat.