NC Dem Senate Candidate Cal Cunningham’s ‘sexting’ scandal turning into possible ‘sex’ scandal

NC Dem Senate Candidate Cal Cunningham’s ‘sexting’ scandal turning into possible ‘sex’ scandal

Control of the Senate may turn on the outcome in North Carolina, where Democrats have poured tens of millions of dollars into backing Cal Cunningham against incumbent Republican Thom Tillis.

The race was a toss up, with Cunningham possibly slightly ahead, until a ‘sexting’ scandal broke involving Cunningham having romantic text exchanges with a woman in California, Arlene Guzman Todd, who was not his wife. Cunningham expressed regret and urged the media to give his family privacy. The story was first reported by Patrick Howley of National File.

Democrats stood by their sexting man.

But that may not last. There were rumors of Cunningham’s involvement with a second woman, and now more than sexting with Guzman.

Now the Associate Press is reporting that the sexting with that second woman reflects a possible physical relationship:

A week ago, a conservative website, NationalFile.com, published text messages between Cunningham and Arlene Guzman Todd, a public relations strategist from California, that suggested a personal relationship.

The newly obtained texts provide both a more specific timeline about their relationship, which shows it was recent, as well as details that describe intimate encounters — not simply a digital exchange.

The text messages were not obtained from Guzman Todd. But the AP contacted her to confirm their authenticity. In a series of interviews late Monday as well as in the text messages, Guzman Todd described two in-person encounters with Cunningham, one in March in Los Angeles that she said did not include intimate contact and a second in July in North Carolina, where she said they were intimate.

In the text messages to her friend, Guzman Todd told her she was intimate with Cunningham in his home, which she later characterized as “weird.”

In another exchange, Guzman Todd indicated that she was frustrated by the limited attention that he showed her.

“I’m just going to send to his opponent his naked photos,” Guzman Todd wrote. “That will teach him.”

“You don’t deserve me Cal,” she said in a separate text message. She added in another, “He knows (that I) can tank his campaign.”

In a statement, Guzman Todd apologized for the “pain and embarrassment, and disrespect I’ve caused to my immediate family, loved ones, and everyone affected by this situation.”

“A few months back, I displayed a lapse in judgment by engaging in a relationship with Cal Cunningham during a period of marital separation,” Guzman Todd said. “The relationship spanned several months and consisted primarily of a series of text exchanges and an in-person encounter.” She did not elaborate, but her text messages described the intimacy.

Cunningham’s campaign declined to comment on the newly disclosed texts or on Guzman’s statement.

WRAL.com reports:

Texts obtained by WRAL and verified by The Associated Press suggest that North Carolina’s Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate had a sexual relationship with a woman who is not his wife….

“I’m sad for his wife and his teenage children,” Tillis told WRAL News on Tuesday. “Cal Cunningham owes everybody an explanation for two revelations over the past week. I think North Carolinians deserve it. He needs to stop canceling media events and campaign events and go before the people of North Carolina and give us all a thorough explanation.

Guzman Todd and Cunningham are both married. Some of the texts from Guzman Todd include disparaging comments about Cunningham’s wife and her own husband.

If it turns out that Cunningham has a ‘sex’ not merely a ‘sexting’ scandal, will Democrats stand by him? Do Democrats have a choice at this point, when their plans to create two new states, pack the Supreme Court, and eliminate the filibuster turn on their winning the North Carolina Senate seat? Yes, of course they have a choice, and we know what that choice will be.

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