Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blamed both failed Senate candidate Cal Cunningham&#8217;s extramarital affair and the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg&#8217;s death for the Democratic Party&#8217;s inability to secure a Senate majority.
During a recent call with donors, Schumer lamented that Cunningham &#8220;couldn&#8217;t keep his zipper up&#8221; and got entangled in an adulterous sexting scandal, according to knowledgable sources who spoke with <a href="https://www.axios.com/schumer-regrets-democrats-senate-chances-1bc586cb-46d1-4aa0-97f1-0274cfed1c00.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Axios</a>. Cunningham had been expected to seize the Senate seat from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who ended up keeping it by a narrow margin.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/calls-grow-for-investigation-into-democrat-cal-cunningham-over-potential-fec-violations-related-to-affair-campaign-funds" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> of the Cunningham scandal:
<blockquote>Calls for an investigation into North Carolina Democrat Senate nominee Cal Cunningham are growing after an FEC complaint filed by a watchdog group called into question his use of campaign funds and after he <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article246191610.html">admitted</a> to a sex scandal.
“California woman Arlene Guzman Todd said earlier in October she had two in-person encounters with Cunningham, who is running for Senate in North Carolina,” Fox News reported. “She detailed one encounter in March in Los Angeles that did not include intimate contact and a second in July in North Carolina where she said they were intimate.”
Despite running for office in North Carolina, Cunningham appears to have had multiple campaign events in California, where he allegedly had the affair.
“On March 7, 2020 a prominent California political donor posted on Facebook that she had met Mr. Cunningham at dinner the night before,” Americans for Public Trust <a href="https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2020/10/479893298-Cal-Cunningham-FEC-Complaint-10-07-20-APT-pdf.pdf">said</a> in the complaint. “On October 6, 2020 it was reported by a local North Carolina press outlet that Mr. Cunningham had engaged in an extramarital affair in California in March of 2020.”</blockquote>
During the call, Schumer also pinpointed Ginsburg&#8217;s death as a reason that Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was able reframe the debate about replacing Supreme Court justices and hold onto a seat Democrats had hoped to flip. Despite not leading in any public poll against her opponent Sara Gideon, Collins appealed to Democrats, independents, and undecideds by refusing to vote for Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Chances of an outright majority are impossible, though the Democrats have pinned their hopes on the two upcoming Georgia runoff races in January, which would allow a Vice President Kamala Harris to have a tie-breaking vote and thus effectively give a green light to the agenda of Senate Democrats.
The Georgia races have already come under investigation for voter fraud from outside groups allegedly attempting to get out-of-state voters to cast their ballots. As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/georgia-investigating-group-previously-led-by-democrat-senate-candidate-warnock-for-voter-registration-activities" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>:
<blockquote>A group that was previously led by Democrat Senate candidate Raphael Warnock is under investigation by the state of Georgia for its voter registration activities, Georgia’s secretary of state announced on Monday.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said that he had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/georgia-secretary-of-state-opens-250-investigations-into-credible-claims-of-illegal-voting">launched an investigation</a> into “third party groups working to register people in other states to vote here in Georgia.”
“We have opened an investigation into a group called America Votes who is sending absentee ballot applications to people at addresses where they have not lived since 1994; Vote Forward, who attempted to register a dead Alabama voter, a woman, to vote here in Georgia; The New Georgia Project, who sent voter registration applications to New York City, at Operation New Voter Registration Georgia, who is telling college students in Georgia that they can change their residency to Georgia and then change it back after the election,” he said. “Let me be very clear again, voting in Georgia when you are not resident of Georgia is a felony.”</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/n-c-dem-senate-candidate-blames-gop-incumbent-after-sexting-scandal" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NC Dem Senate Candidate Blames GOP Incumbent After Sexting Scandal</a>

Chuck Schumer

‘Couldn’t Keep His Zipper Up’: Chuck Schumer Blames Cal Cunningham Affair, RBG Death For Senate Loss

Cal Cunningham

Charles Schumer

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Susan Collins

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) declared victory over Democrat Cal Cunningham, who in the weeks before the election became embroiled in a scandal and admitted to sending sexually suggestive texts to a woman.
With 100% of the precincts reporting, Tillis leads by 96,000 votes. Unofficial results showed him with 2.64 million votes and Cunningham with 2.54 million votes. But more than 117,000 absentee ballots remain outstanding, and it was unclear how many will be returned, WRAL<a href="https://www.wral.com/tillis-declares-victory-in-north-carolina-s-us-senate-race/19369224/"> reported</a>.
“What we accomplished tonight was a stunning victory,” Tillis said.
Cunningham was scheduled to speak at the Democratic Party headquarters in Raleigh on Tuesday, but around midnight, the party announced he would not deliver remarks.
The race is set to go down as the most expensive contest in Senate history, with the candidates and outside groups spending more than $287 million on the race, <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/most-expensive-races?display=allcandsout">according</a> to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Early on, North Carolina was expected to be a win for the GOP in the Senate. But even after a sex scandal, the race grew tighter as Election Day approached. The final polling average tabulated by Real Clear Politics put Cunningham up by 2.6% — 47.6%b to 45%.
Democrats, meanwhile, saw the state as a bellwether, predicting that a win in North Carolina would bode well for the party across the rest of the U.S. As <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/most-expensive-races?display=allcandsout">NPR</a> put it: &#8220;Cunningham had all the advantages, but late-breaking reports of marital infidelity will test whether old-school political scandals still register with voters.&#8221;
Text messages <a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-senate-elections-north-carolina-thom-tillis-de011b865bb05df79a4d15a995ffe843">obtained</a> by The Associated Press showed Arlene Guzman Todd had a relationship with Cunningham that extended to an intimate encounter as recently as July. Cunningham, an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel, had sought to present a wholesome appeal until NationalFile.com published text messages between Cunningham and Todd, a public relations strategist from California.
&#8220;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,&#8221; the AP said. &#8220;In the text messages to her friend, Guzman Todd told her she was intimate with Cunningham in his home, which she later characterized as &#8216;weird.'&#8221;
<blockquote>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.”</blockquote>
Todd later apologized. “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.”

North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis Hosts Election Night Watch Party

Republican Thom Tillis Claims Victory In North Carolina

2020 Election

North Carolina

Thom Tillis

Calls for an investigation into North Carolina Democrat Senate nominee Cal Cunningham are growing after an FEC complaint filed by a watchdog group called into question his use of campaign funds and after he <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article246191610.html">admitted</a> to a sex scandal.
&#8220;California woman Arlene Guzman Todd said earlier in October she had two in-person encounters with Cunningham, who is running for Senate in North Carolina,&#8221; Fox News reported. &#8220;She detailed one encounter in March in Los Angeles that did not include intimate contact and a second in July in North Carolina where she said they were intimate.&#8221;
Despite running for office in North Carolina, Cunningham appears to have had multiple campaign events in California, where he allegedly had the affair.
&#8220;On March 7, 2020 a prominent California political donor posted on Facebook that she had met Mr. Cunningham at dinner the night before,&#8221; Americans for Public Trust <a href="https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2020/10/479893298-Cal-Cunningham-FEC-Complaint-10-07-20-APT-pdf.pdf">said</a> in the complaint. &#8220;On October 6, 2020 it was reported by a local North Carolina press outlet that Mr. Cunningham had engaged in an extramarital affair in California in March of 2020.&#8221;
Americans For Public Trust Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News: &#8220;There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered. He had an event on [March 6]. What hotel did he stay in on the 7th?&#8221;
&#8220;We have seen instances where individuals have disguised the nature of payments,&#8221; Sutherland added. &#8220;The easiest example is [ex-Rep.] Duncan Hunter. &#8230; FEC records are not like real-time credit card statements.&#8221;
The group called for an “immediate and complete audit of his campaign spending” because “the nature of an extramarital affair is deception and concealment and North Carolinians deserve to know the extent Mr. Cunningham may have converted campaign funds for personal use.”
The campaign for Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) slammed Cunningham in a statement: “Cal Cunningham has tried to make transparency in campaign financing a central part of his candidacy. He should practice what he preaches by coming clean about whether he broke the law in order to facilitate an affair with the wife of a disabled combat veteran.”
Fox News separately reported that the woman who Cunningham is accused of cheating on his wife with has donated to his campaign multiple times.
&#8220;On July 20 and July 31, California public relations strategist Arlene Guzman Todd sent Cunningham $35.30 and $250, respectively,&#8221; Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fec-records-cunningham-mistress-donated-campaign-extramarital-affair">reported</a>. &#8220;The contributions coincide with the time of their alleged affair.&#8221;
The Army Reserve <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-army-reserve-launches-investigation-into-democrat-cal-cunningham-as-sex-scandal-explodes">launched</a> an investigation into Cunningham last week in response to the sex scandal.
Simon B. Flake, chief of media relations and public information for the Army Reserve Strategic Communications, <a href="https://www.wral.com/army-reserve-investigating-cunningham-after-woman-confirms-affair-more-texts-emerge/19323479/">said</a>, “The Army Reserve is investigating the matters involving Lt. Col. James Cunningham. As such, we are unable to provide further details at this time.”
“An Army Reserve lieutenant colonel who projected what seemed to be a wholesome appeal, Cunningham was widely viewed as the kind of recruit Democrats needed to make inroads in conservative-leaning Southern states such as North Carolina,” ABC 11 <a href="https://abc11.com/cal-cunningham-wife-texts-affair/6826573/">reported</a>. “Yet the text messages and interviews offer a glimpse that is at odds with the image of a devoted family man.”
This article has been expanded after publication to include additional information.

Cal-Cunningham-1

Calls Grow For Investigation Into Democrat Cal Cunningham Over Potential FEC Violations Related To Affair, Campaign Funds

This week, after revelations had surfaced about his alleged multiple extra-marital affairs, North Carolina Senate Democrat candidate Cal Cunningham blamed his opponent, incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), stating at the 2020 North Carolina League of Conservation Voters <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NCLCV/videos/624086498285497">Green Tie Awards</a>, “He has now resorted to trying to make this campaign about something other than the issues.”
Cunningham stated:
<blockquote>There’s a lot we have to talk about tonight because there’s a lot at stake in this election. We can all agree that this is by far the most important election of our lifetime. But before we get into those issues that most affect this campaign, I want you to hear something directly from me. I am deeply sorry for the hurt that I have caused in my personal life. And I also apologize to all of you. And I hope each of you watching at home will accept this sincere apology and that we will continue to work together to change the direction of our country and strengthen our state …</blockquote>
“Because Thom Tillis knows he is losing and knows that we are winning, he has now resorted to trying to make this campaign about something other than the issues,” he continued. “But we know, I know, this campaign is about your hopes and your dreams.”
Tillis’s campaign manager, Luke Blanchat, responded:
<blockquote>
Cal Cunningham’s comments tonight only make his scandal — and the hypocrisy of his campaign — worse. Cunningham is afraid to directly address why and how he betrayed the trust of North Carolinians. He offered no explanation for his extramarital affairs, instead choosing to read off an insincere apology written by his campaign consultants from DC, in line with the fake and insincere persona he is trying to sell to North Carolina. Cal Cunningham needs to stop hiding behind prewritten statements and teleprompters. He needs to answer every single question from reporters he has spent the last week ignoring. North Carolinians deserve a full explanation; the truth still matters.
</blockquote>
“The fallout from the scandal has <a style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;" href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/10/07/cal-cunningham-fundraiser-tammy-duckworth-postponed-amid-affair/">upended</a> the North Carolina Senate race. It led  Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to <a style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;" href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/10/07/cal-cunningham-fundraiser-tammy-duckworth-postponed-amid-affair/">postpone</a> her fundraiser with Cunningham that was scheduled for Wednesday night,” <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/10/07/democrat-cal-cunningham-now-blames-thom-tillis-for-his-affair-scandal/">Breitbart</a> reported.
“New texts <a href="https://www.wral.com/new-texts-shared-with-wral-suggest-cunningham-had-sexual-relationship-with-woman/19323479/">obtained by WRAL</a> and later verified by the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-senate-elections-north-carolina-thom-tillis-de011b865bb05df79a4d15a995ffe843">Associated Press</a> now suggest that Cunningham had a sexual relationship with Arlene Guzman Todd. According to the Associated Press, through several interviews late Monday as well as from texts, Guzman Todd talked about two in-person meetings with Cunningham, one encounter in March that she noted did not include intimate contact and a second meeting back in July in North Carolina where such contact did occur,” <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/north-carolina-senate-candidate-cal-cunninghams-extramarital-affair-went-beyond-sexting-report/ar-BB19LNwe">The Washington Examiner</a> reported, adding, “A second allegation of a Cunningham extramarital affair <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/second-mistress-allegation-rocks-cal-cunningham-campaign">was made by attorney Erin Brinkman</a> on Facebook, who claimed her ‘good friend’ has been in a relationship with the candidate since 2012.”

Bon Jovi gives a concert to support Hillary Clinton

NC Dem Senate Candidate Blames GOP Incumbent After Sexting Scandal

The Army Reserve has launched an investigation into Democrat Cal Cunningham in response to a growing sex scandal that exploded last week, which has derailed his campaign to unseat Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC).
Simon B. Flake, chief of media relations and public information for the Army Reserve Strategic Communications, <a href="https://www.wral.com/army-reserve-investigating-cunningham-after-woman-confirms-affair-more-texts-emerge/19323479/">said</a>, &#8220;The Army Reserve is investigating the matters involving Lt. Col. James Cunningham. As such, we are unable to provide further details at this time.&#8221;
&#8220;An Army Reserve lieutenant colonel who projected what seemed to be a wholesome appeal, Cunningham was widely viewed as the kind of recruit Democrats needed to make inroads in conservative-leaning Southern states such as North Carolina,&#8221; ABC 11 <a href="https://abc11.com/cal-cunningham-wife-texts-affair/6826573/">reported</a>. &#8220;Yet the text messages and interviews offer a glimpse that is at odds with the image of a devoted family man.&#8221;
The scandal exploded on to the scene last Thursday when Patrick Howley at National File first <a href="https://nationalfile.com/exclusive-north-carolina-democrat-senate-candidates-sext-messages-with-veterans-wife/">reported</a> that Cunningham, who is married, had sent sexual messages to another woman. Cunningham later <a href="https://amp.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article246191610.html">confirmed</a> the news but claimed that this was a &#8220;personal matter&#8221; and that he should be entitled to his &#8220;privacy.&#8221;
Questions later emerged over whether Cunningham could be court-martialed over the sexual misconduct. On Sunday, a North Carolina attorney came forward and <a href="https://nationalfile.com/north-carolina-attorney-claims-friend-is-nc-democrats-second-mistress/">said</a> that her friend has also been having an affair with Cunningham.
The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-senate-elections-north-carolina-thom-tillis-de011b865bb05df79a4d15a995ffe843">reported</a> on new graphic text messages that surfaced that claimed that Cunningham had carried out one of the alleged affairs in the home where he lives with his family:
<blockquote>
The newly obtained texts, which are between Guzman Todd and a friend, provide a more specific timeline about their recent relationship, 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 was in March in Los Angeles that she said did not include intimate contact, and a second was in July in North Carolina, where she said they were intimate.
In text messages to her friend, Guzman Todd said 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.”
</blockquote>
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nc-democratic-senate-candidate-bails-on-town-hall-in-aftermath-of-sexting-scandal">reported</a> on Monday that Cunningham had dropped out of a town hall event that was scheduled as his campaign continues to struggle with the fallout. Cunningham then backed out of a fundraiser event that had been <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesArkin/status/1313642189000507395">scheduled</a> on Tuesday. Cunningham also <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate-candidate-cal-cunningham-goes-dark-after-sexting-scandal-emerges">reportedly</a> pulled ads late last week for fundraising.
Google Search trends at the start of the week showed that the vast majority of what people were searching for online in regards to Cunningham involved the sex scandal.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Cunningham&#39;s Google Search trends are ALL about his affair. 
1. Sexting 2. Mistress 3. Strategist 4. Adultery 5. Text messaging 6. Sex Scandal 7. John Edwards (!!!) 8. Scandal 9. Elizabeth Cunningham<a href="https://t.co/XvVxIQlTGH">https://t.co/XvVxIQlTGH</a> <a href="https://t.co/JnI8qxiSmY">pic.twitter.com/JnI8qxiSmY</a>
&mdash; Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattdizwhitlock/status/1313185626234253313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Newspaper headlines in the state also have painted a bleak picture of Cunningham&#8217;s campaign in wake of the scandal.
https://twitter.com/JJHunt10/status/1312741657176145926

Army Reserve Launches Investigation Into Democrat Cal Cunningham As Sex Scandal Explodes

Sex Scandal

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham canceled a Monday town hall as his campaign struggles to deal with the fallout of a sexting scandal that broke last week.
Cunningham, who is running for Senate in North Carolina, suddenly pulled out of a town hall scheduled for Monday afternoon, sending organizers scrambling as they try and rebook Cunningham for a later date. Cunningham pulled out of the event after leaked texts suggested he was having an affair.
“He&#8217;s unable to attend today but looks forward to continue to work to earn the opportunity to fight for North Carolinians,” a Cunningham spokeswoman said. Cunningham has largely stayed away from the public since the scandal broke, and the town hall would have been the first chance for voters to hear him address the scandal in person rather than through a statement to the press.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Cunningham spokeswoman confirms he is not participating in the town hall scheduled for 3pm today. No response yet to other questions.
&quot;He&#39;s unable to attend today but looks forward to continue to work to earn the opportunity to fight for North Carolinians.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/I5Gopbc9ED">https://t.co/I5Gopbc9ED</a>
&mdash; James Arkin (@JamesArkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesArkin/status/1313188282424004609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-senate-candidate-sent-sexual-texts-to-woman-who-isnt-his-wife">Cunningham</a> confirmed that the texts, first reported by <a href="https://nationalfile.com/exclusive-north-carolina-democrat-senate-candidates-sext-messages-with-veterans-wife/">NationalFile.com</a>, were authentic in a statement late Friday. He vowed to stay in the race despite the scandal.
“I have hurt my family, disappointed my friends, and am deeply sorry. The first step in repairing those relationships is taking complete responsibility, which I do. I ask that my family’s privacy be respected in this personal matter,” Cunningham said. “I remain grateful and humbled by the ongoing support that North Carolinians have extended in this campaign, and in the remaining weeks before this election I will continue to work to earn the opportunity to fight for the people of our state.”
Cunningham is married with two teenage children. He is running against incumbent GOP Sen. <a href="https://dw-site-staging.dailywire.com/news/second-gop-senator-on-judiciary-committee-to-isolate-after-positive-covid-test">Thom Tillis</a>, who tested positive for the coronavirus Friday evening. Cunningham’s sexting scandal and Tillis’s positive COVID-19 test have thrown the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina into “chaos,” <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/north-carolina-senate-race-in-chaos-after-cunningham-sexting-scandal-tillis-coronavirus-diagnosis">according to</a> Meredith College political science professor David McLennan.
Tillis is self-isolating at his home in North Carolina. Tillis is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee responsible for clearing Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett through committee and onto the floor of the Senate for a confirmation vote.
Cunningham has been leading in the race against Tillis. In third quarter fundraising, Cunningham set a North Carolina record, raking in $28.3 million in donations over the past three months. Cunningham also held a 6.5 point edge in polling ahead of Tillis, according to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/senate/nc/north_carolina_senate_tillis_vs_cunningham-6908.html">RealClearPolitics</a> polling average for the race. All polls included in the average were taken before Cunningham’s scandal and Tillis’s positive COVID-19 test.
Cunningham’s texts suggest that he was having an affair with a California public relations strategist.
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-senate-candidate-sent-sexual-texts-to-woman-who-isnt-his-wife">The Daily Wire</a> reports:
<blockquote>The text messages were between Cunningham and California public relations strategist Arlene Guzman Todd. In one message, Cunningham wrote: “Would make my day to roll over and kiss you about now.”
At one point, Guzman texted him: “I have flexibility this month — done with school, training, big RFPs, etc. So the only thing I want on my to do list is you.”
The texts do not contain dates, but one from Cunningham stated that he was “nervous about the next 100 days,” possibly alluding to the election. One hundred days before the election is around July 26.</blockquote>