Democrats' North Carolina Senate candidate admits to extramarital sexting

Candidate is "deeply sorry," he said, though he will not leave the race.

Published: October 3, 2020 3:50pm

Updated: October 4, 2020 6:50am

North Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham admitted this week to having sent sexually explicit text messages to a woman other than his wife, a revelation likely to shake up a competitive Senate race in a contentious election year.

Cunningham’s campaign confirmed the authenticity of the text messages, sent to Arlene Guzman Todd, a public relations strategist out of California.

In the messages, first obtained by National File, Todd—who is also reportedly married—and Cunningham express excitement over their surreptitious relationship. Todd at one point encourages Cunningham to “pick a day [and] city … make up an excuse for the [family] … and be ready to kiss a lot.” Cunningham in the messages refers to Todd as “historically sexy.”

Following the release of the messages, Cunningham in a statement to media said he had “hurt my family [and] disappointed my friends,” and stated that he was “deeply sorry.” He vowed to stay in the race, however.

Multiple polls show Cunningham with a steady 4-6 point lead over his Republican competitor, Sen. Thom Tillis. Tillis on Friday announced he had tested positive for coronavirus.

As of Saturday afternoon, the website to Todd's public relations firm, HPA Strategies, had been locked as private.