Megyn Kelly says Dems timed Eric Swalwell scandal to stop Steve Hilton from winning California

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Conservative pundit Megyn Kelly accused Democrats of orchestrating the timing of misconduct allegations against Rep Eric Swalwell to sabotage GOP candidate Steve Hilton's gubernatorial bid.

According to Kelly, Swalwell's candidacy would have cleared a path that could have handed Republican Steve Hilton a shot at the governor’s mansion in the state’s top-two “jungle” primary.

Kelly thinks Dems 'turfed' Swalwell

On her show Tuesday, Kelly laid out the theory while interviewing Hilton.

“To me, this is a big move against you,” Kelly insisted. “It’s not a big move against Swalwell… They had to turf him before the vote so that you were not going to be facing Eric Swalwell, who you could defeat if this hit after June.”

She questioned whether outlets like the San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, and CBS News would have rushed the story if a Hilton-Swalwell general election matchup was already locked in.

Hilton, who has surged to the front of the pack with President Trump’s endorsement, fired back at the Democratic power structure.

“This is the arrogance,” Hilton said. “They think it’s unthinkable that you’d have a Republican Governor of California… They’re so intoxicated with power. They think they own this state.”

Swalwell’s abrupt exit from the governor’s race

The bombshell claims against the seven-term Democrat surfaced Friday in the San Francisco Chronicle, followed hours later by CNN. A former staffer alleged Swalwell twice assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent, once in 2019 while she worked in his Castro Valley district office and again in 2024 after a New York charity gala.

She said Swalwell had pursued her with explicit Snapchat messages and photos shortly after hiring her at age 21.

CNN added accounts from three other women who accused him of sending unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos. Swalwell had been a leading Democratic contender, but suspended his campaign Sunday and announced Monday he would resign from Congress, preempting an Ethics Committee probe and potential expulsion vote.

“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," Swalwell said in a statement. "However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.” He added, “Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.”

The timing of the allegations, which came just weeks before early voting begins May 5 ahead of the June 2 primary, fueled speculation in Republican circles that the story was strategically leaked to prevent a nightmare scenario for Democrats with the top two finishers in the all-party primary both being Republicans. Polls had shown Hilton leading the crowded field, with Swalwell competitive among Democrats and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco also in the mix.

A top-two advance system means the highest vote-getters move on to November regardless of party. A divided Democratic field had raised the real possibility that two Republicans could lock in the runoff, virtually guaranteeing a GOP governor in deep-blue California for the first time since Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Swalwell’s exit leaves the Democratic side scrambling to consolidate behind figures such as former Rep. Katie Porter and billionaire Tom Steyer as the primary field narrows. Hilton remains the clear Republican frontrunner in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom.