Two members of the United States House of Representatives announced their resignations on Monday, 13 April 2026, bowing to intense pressure over serious personal misconduct allegations, while two other lawmakers face formal expulsion proceedings — an unusually turbulent moment for a legislative chamber where forced departures are historically rare.
Eric Swalwell, a Democratic congressman from California who had been considered a strong contender to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom, resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced involving four women. A former staff member told CNN that Swalwell had assaulted her on two occasions, in 2019 and 2024, when she had been too intoxicated to consent. "I pushed him away and said no. He did not stop," she said, adding that she had been left bleeding. Three other women separately accused him of sending unsolicited explicit messages and photographs. Swalwell denied the most serious allegations, but acknowledged past "errors of judgment" in a statement on X, saying he would fight what he described as false accusations. He had already withdrawn from the California governor's race the previous day. Swalwell previously played a prominent role in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump in 2021 and in congressional investigations into alleged ties between Trump campaign associates and Russian officials.
Hours later, Republican Tony Gonzales of Texas also announced he would not seek re-election and would leave his seat, following mounting pressure from within his own party. Gonzales had admitted to having an extramarital relationship with a staff member who later died by suicide, and messages he had sent her became public earlier this year. Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez, a Democrat from New Mexico, said before both resignations that the two men had "exploited the ideals and public-service ethos of their staff as a weakness" rather than treating them with respect.
Separately, two Florida lawmakers — Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, accused of campaign finance irregularities, and Republican Cory Mills, facing accusations of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and campaign finance violations — are subject to ongoing expulsion proceedings that could begin this week. Expelling a House member requires a two-thirds majority vote, a threshold so high that only six members have been removed in the chamber's 237-year history.
The departures carry significant political consequences. Republicans currently hold an extremely slim majority in the House, and each vacancy will trigger a special election — the timing of which is set by the individual states — potentially putting that majority at further risk. The cluster of misconduct cases spanning both parties has drawn rare bipartisan condemnation, though the electoral fallout will be determined in the months ahead.