Cal Cunningham

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In 2010, Cunningham ran for the U.S. Senate seat held by Richard Burr. [23] [24] [25] Retired NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark endorsed Cunningham, saying that he would be "the first veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to serve in the U.S. Senate", as did the state's largest organization of teachers, the North Carolina Association of Educators. [26] [27] He finished second in the primary, but since no candidate received 40% of the vote, he advanced to a runoff with the first-place finisher, North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, who ultimately won the nomination. [28]

2020 campaign

Cunningham originally declared his candidacy for lieutenant governor of North Carolina, [29] [30] but he withdrew in June 2019 to run for the United States Senate seat held by Thom Tillis instead. [31] During the primary, a Republican-allied Super PAC spent $3 million on ads attacking Cunningham and supporting left-wing state Senator Erica Smith in order to "amplify fault lines in the Democratic party." [32] [33] [34] On March 3, 2020, Cunningham won the Democratic primary with 57% of the vote. [35]

Cunningham stated his support of the Affordable Care Act and called for the expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina, as well as a public health insurance option. [36] [37] He stated his opposition to the Green New Deal and his support for significant investment in green jobs and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. [32]

In July 2020, incumbent Republican Thom Tillis claimed Cunningham had been "silent" on the issue of defunding the police, saying, "I assume his silence is consent." Cunningham had published an op-ed a month earlier stating his opposition to defunding the police, instead advocating police reform, including policies that "counsel de-escalation, prohibit chokeholds, limit no-knock warrants, and specifically address the use of deadly force." [38] [39]

Cunningham led Tillis in the polls throughout much of the campaign. [40]

On October 3, the New York Times wrote that the race had fallen into "utter mayhem" within a period of a few hours after Tillis tested positive for COVID-19 and Cunningham admitted to exchanging sexual text messages with a woman who was not his wife, damaging an image that leaned heavily on his character and military service. Days later, the woman, Arlene Guzman Todd, stated that she had a consensual physical relationship with Cunningham in 2020. [41] The Army Reserve started an investigation into Cunningham. [42] The husband of the woman who stated that she had had an affair with Cunningham, himself an Army veteran, called on Cunningham to drop out of the Senate race. [43] Asked repeatedly whether he had had other extramarital affairs, Cunningham declined to answer. [44] [45] [46] [47]

Following the disclosure of the texts and his response, Cunningham "assumed a position of complete radio silence, withdrawing from the campaign trail [save] for a last-minute appearance in Charlotte with the rapper Common". [48] In late October, Cunningham's polling lead eroded. [49]

Tillis defeated Cunningham, 48.7%-47%, on Election Day. [50] On November 10, 2020, a week after Election Day, Cunningham called Tillis to concede the race. [51]

Honors and awards

For his service in Iraq, Cunningham was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service as a lead investigator examining contractors. [52] [53] In 2009, he received the General Douglas MacArthur Award for Leadership. [54] [55]

Cunningham is a recipient of a Jaycees' Distinguished Service Award. [56]

In 2007, Cunningham was selected for a Marshall Memorial Fellowship. [57]

Personal life

Cunningham and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children. [58] [59] As of September 2020, he was an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church. [60]

In October 2020, it was reported that Cunningham had exchanged sexually suggestive messages with a married woman who was not his wife. Cunningham confirmed the texts were authentic and apologized for his behavior. [59] [58] The woman, Arlene Guzman Todd, stated that she had a consensual physical relationship with Cunningham in 2020. [61] [62] The Army Reserve started an investigation into Cunningham. [63]

Electoral history

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References

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  3. "North Carolina manual [serial]". [Raleigh] : North Carolina Historical Commission. October 21, 1916 via Internet Archive.
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  5. Full text of "S. 885, to modify congressional restrictions on gifts : hearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Third Congress, first session, on S. 885 ... July 19, 1993". U.S. Government Printing Office. 1993. ISBN   9780160415029 . Retrieved January 16, 2011.
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  18. "MEDIA ADVISORY: Governor's Crime Commission Quarterly Meeting". North Carolina Department of Public Safety. December 5, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2020. Policy Study Report Update GCC Vice Chairman Cal Cunningham
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  23. "News & Observer: Cunningham makes it official". Projects.newsobserver.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
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  25. "Media Report December 4 - 10, 2009". Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP. Retrieved September 30, 2020. Winston-Salem Journal, Lexington-Dispatch, and Triad Business Journal: December 8: Cal Cunningham announced that he will run for U.S. Senate in 2010.
  26. "News & Observer: Cunningham endorsed by retired Gen Wesley Clark". Projects.newsobserver.com. March 29, 2010. Archived from the original on April 1, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  27. "News & Observer: Cunningham, Lewis pick up endorsements". Projects.newsobserver.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
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  53. Rudin, Ken (March 30, 2010). "Is N.C. Sen. Burr (R) Vulnerable? Depends On Who You Ask". NPR.org. Retrieved January 8, 2021. But the favorite, at least among some Democrats in Washington, seems to be Cal Cunningham, an attorney and former one-term state senator who served in Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star.
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Cal Cunningham
James "Cal" Cunningham (cropped).jpg
Cunningham in 2019
Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 23rd district
In office
January 1, 2001 January 1, 2003
North Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 23rd district

2001–2003
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from North Carolina
(Class 2)

2020
Most recent