As recently as Friday morning, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell was arguably the front-runner in California’s highly competitive gubernatorial race. By Sunday night, however, his candidacy was over. MS NOW reported:

Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the Democratic primary for California governor on Sunday night after detailed accusations of sexual assault and misconduct doomed his once successful campaign — and led his closest allies and aides to demand he bow out.

‘I am suspending my campaign for Governor,’ Swalwell said in a statement posted on social media.

In the same online statement, the congressman said he was “deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” though he did not elaborate on what those were, and he vowed to “fight the serious, false allegations that have been made.”

Swalwell’s exit had become inevitable. Though he was generally seen as the gubernatorial race’s top contender, the Democrat had hemorrhaged endorsements, institutional support and staff. The Californian, who also ran an ill-fated presidential campaign in 2020, saw the writing on the wall as his prospects collapsed.

Questions remain, however, as to what’s likely to happen next, because although Swalwell’s candidacy is finished, his political and legal crises are not.

There is, for example, a new criminal investigation underway in New York City, which coincides with a Department of Homeland Security investigation into allegations that Swalwell illegally employed a Brazilian nanny several years ago.

There’s also the question of whether Swalwell will be able to remain in Congress.

The representative had already announced plans to give up his seat in the expectation that he would become governor, which would mean passing the torch to a successor at the end of the current session, which ends in early January.

But Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida has said she would instead launch an effort to expel Swalwell and plans to force a vote on her effort soon. The bar is high — it takes a two-thirds majority to approve an expulsion resolution — but some Democrats have suggested they’re prepared to back the measure.

There is, however, a catch. As MS NOW’s report added, “Several Democrats suggested they would support an expulsion effort if Republicans would take down one of their own: Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, who is under a House ethics investigation for alleged sexual misconduct with an aide who died by suicide.”

The Texas Republican’s troubles worsened last week amid reports that his extramarital affair with his former aide was part of a pattern of seeking inappropriate sexual relationships with female subordinates.

As a Punchbowl News report summarized, the result is a burgeoning “one of ours for one of theirs” situation. There has also been talk about a four-member expulsion initiative involving two Democrats (Swalwell and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, the latter of whom is facing a criminal case as well as possible sanctions from the House Ethics Committee) and two Republicans (Gonzales and Rep. Cory Mills of Florida, the latter of whom has also faced a variety of allegations of wrongdoing, which he’s denied).

In its 237-year history, the House of Representatives has only expelled six members. Is that total poised to grow? Watch this space.

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From MS Now.