Katie Porter is on the radar because she stands to benefit the most when Eric Swalwell resigns from California’s gubernatorial bid in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations.
With Eric Swalwell withdrawing from the California gubernatorial race in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against him, Katie Porter has benefited the most, but her fellow Democrat has distanced himself from the behind-the-scenes revelations about Eric Swalwell.
The decision to withdraw from the race came after Swalwell’s campaign held out for several days, denying all the accusations and describing them as false and outrageous. Cheyenne Hunt, an attorney and former California congressional candidate, announced last week that she was working with a number of women who were in the process of coming forward and sharing their stories about alleged sexual harassment and assault at the hands of Eric Swalwell himself. After Swalwell dropped out of the race, the long relationship between Hunt and Katie Porter is now public as Hunt attends the same law school as Katie Porter. CBS News reported that Hunt enrolled at UC Irvine Law in the fall of 2018, where Porter was running for Congress. Porter continued to live in on-campus housing throughout her time in Congress while on leave from her teaching position. Hunt interned on Capitol Hill for a Democratic senator while Porter was serving in the House, and in 2021, Porter delivered the commencement address at Hunt’s graduation ceremony — explaining how their paths crossed several times.
When Hunt ran for a congressional seat in Orange County, she posted a photo with Porter on social media, calling her a trailblazer.
There is no relationship to speak of
A spokesperson for Katie Porter’s campaign told CBS News they had no relationship to speak of. “In fact, Katie endorsed a different candidate when she was running in a neighboring district,” the spokesperson said. Katie Porter said: “I have not spoken to any woman who says she is going to file a complaint… Our focus should be on protecting these victims if they are victims of sexual harassment or sexual assault, and we should make sure they feel safe and comfortable speaking up.”
Eric Swalwell’s second major controversy
The sexual misconduct allegations that cost Swalwell to abandon his gubernatorial bid remain the second biggest controversy as the first will always be his alleged involvement with a Chinese spy. Fang Fang, a Chinese woman believed to be a spy, gained access to several politicians, including Swalwell. Fang left the United States sometime in 2015.
