Embattled California Democrat to step aside as Dads Caucus chairman

There's a certain irony in a guy accused of sexual misconduct quietly bowing out of leading the "Dads Caucus" rather than facing questions about why he was still leading it in the first place. Nobody forced Jimmy Gomez to resign. He's "stepping aside," which is the political equivalent of backing slowly out of a room and hoping nobody notices you were ever standing in it.

Timing tells you everything. Gomez isn't doing this out of some sudden attack of conscience. He's got a primary fight against a progressive challenger this fall, and the last thing he needs on a mailer is "Dads Caucus Chairman" sitting next to allegations of sexual misconduct. This is a campaign decision dressed up as a caucus announcement, and the message to members reads like it was drafted by a consultant, not by a man reckoning with anything.

What's telling is how little friction there's been. No calls from leadership demanding he resign his seat. No serious accountability push from the party that spent years lecturing the country about believing women and taking misconduct seriously. Gomez gets to shed a title, keep his seat, keep running, and let the story fade into "embattled congressman navigates tough primary" instead of what it actually is.

Voters in his district deserve better than a quiet caucus reshuffle standing in for actual answers. If the allegations are serious enough to cost him a ceremonial chairmanship, they're serious enough to warrant more than a memo to colleagues.