Three days ago, North Carolina was rocked by the revelation of Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Cal Cunningham’s text messages of a sexual nature with a married woman who is not his wife.
The bombshell revelations involving Cunningham and California public relations woman Arlene Guzman Todd came following a series of polls showing Cunningham consistently leading Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
According to a Civitas poll completed less than a week before Cunningham’s “sexting” became known, the Democrat held a 44 to 38 percent lead over Tillis among likely voters statewide.
In a state where only two U.S. Senators have been re-elected since 1972 — Republicans Jesse Helms and Richard Burr — the prognosis was not good for Tillis (who was tested positive for coronavirus this weekend).
"Unfortunately for Sen. Tillis, while he has remained steady, Cal Cunningham has made significant gains among seniors, women, and in the Greensboro media market to move from a three to six-point advantage [since the previous poll],” according to Civitas President Donald Bryson.
Now the next Civitas poll is anxiously awaited to see if the messages between Cunningham and Todd Civitas President Donald Bryson.which include references to kissing-, will affect the Democrat’s advantage and possibly, the outcome of a race Democrats are counting on to overturn the 53-to-47 seat Republican majority in the Senate.
There is also a question whether Cunningham, a reserve lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, could be punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Army regulations forbid extramarital affairs but punishment would be forthcoming only if Cunningham was on active duty while texting.
“I have hurt my family, disappointed my friends, and am deeply sorry,” Cunningham said in a statement to reporters. He announced he was remaining in the race and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it was sticking with him.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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