The partisan balance of the United States House of Representatives faces immediate volatility following a pair of abrupt, scandal-driven departures. On Monday, Representatives Tony Gonzales of Texas and Eric Swalwell of California independently announced their impending resignations from Congress amid separate, highly publicized sexual misconduct investigations.
Both lawmakers were staring down imminent expulsion threats from bipartisan coalitions preparing to force their removal. The coordinated announcements successfully preempt a historically rare congressional punishment, as the House Ethics Committee had formally launched its probe into Swalwell earlier in the morning.
Gonzales will officially file for retirement when Congress returns to session on Tuesday. The Texas Republican admitted in March to an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide last year. A second former 2020 campaign staffer recently came forward, accusing Gonzales of persistent sexual harassment and soliciting nude photographs.
Hours later, Swalwell confirmed his intention to step down. The California Democrat stated he needed to take responsibility for mistakes in judgment, though he continues to explicitly deny the most severe allegations of sexual assault. His political collapse accelerated over the weekend after the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN detailed accusations from four women, according to an Associated Press report on the resignation.
One former staffer alleged Swalwell sexually assaulted her in a New York hotel in 2024 when she was too intoxicated to consent. The escalating crisis forced Swalwell to abruptly suspend his 2026 campaign for California governor on Sunday night before relinquishing his House seat entirely, as noted in a detailed breakdown by The Guardian.
Representatives Anna Paulina Luna and Teresa Leger Fernández were preparing to introduce privileged expulsion resolutions on the House floor as early as Tuesday afternoon. By resigning, Gonzales and Swalwell avoid joining the brief list of expelled members. Only six House members have ever been formally expelled in U.S. history, with the most recent being George Santos in late 2023, according to coverage of the Texas fallout by The Texas Tribune.
How the Dual Resignations Upend the 2026 California Governor Race
The sudden exit of two sitting members instantly reshapes regional political battlegrounds. Special elections are now mandated in Texas’s 23rd District and California’s 14th District. Swalwell’s departure completely fractures the 2026 California gubernatorial primary. Prior to the weekend reports, he operated as a heavily favored Democratic frontrunner. His suspension leaves a massive fundraising and polling vacuum for remaining contenders to exploit just months before the primary vote.