Ronna Drews, who revealed the alleged sexual assault by former Congressman Swellwell [AP=Yonhap News]

Additional allegations of sexual assault have been raised against former US Representative Eric Swalwell (Democrat), who was considered a strong candidate for California Governor.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 14th (local time) that Ronna Drews, a model and operator of a fashion IT company, held a press conference in Beverly Hills and revealed that she was a victim of sexual assault by Swalwell in 2018.

Drews claimed that Swalwell drugged her and sexually assaulted her after promising to take her to a political event.

Drews stated that Swalwell told her they needed to stop by his hotel because he had left some documents there before the political event. Drews explained that although she only had one glass of wine, she became unable to move.

"I did not consent to any sexual activity," she emphasized, calling it a clear sexual assault.

She added that although she did not report it to the police at the time, she disclosed the incident to acquaintances and received counseling.

Swalwell was previously embroiled in allegations of sexually assaulting a former aide and sending unsolicited explicit photos to three women. In response, he withdrew his candidacy for California Governor the previous day and resigned from his congressional seat.

Prior to these allegations surfacing, Swalwell had been considered a strong contender for the California gubernatorial election this year.

He had built public recognition as a "Trump adversary" for leading the impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump, and was seen as the most prominent figure among several gubernatorial candidates in the Democratic-leaning state of California.

He strongly denied the charges the previous day but simultaneously stated, "I deeply apologize to my family, staff, friends, and supporters for the poor judgments I have made in the past."