Democrat Senate candidate Cal Cunningham admits to sexting scandal

North Carolina Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham has admitted to sexually suggestive text message conversations with a woman named Arlene Guzman Todd, who Cunningham characterizes as “historically sexy.”

In screenshots released Friday night, Guzman Todd encourages Cunningham to “make up an excuse for the fam, ditch a staffer” and “starch [his] white shirt” in preparation got “kiss a lot.”

Between the messages about how much the two want to kiss each other (“a lot”), Cunningham makes sure to wish Guzman Todd’s eight year old son a “happy belated birthday,” seeming to suggest the pair have known each other for years.

“Happy belated birthday to Matthew,” Cunningham wrote. “Cannot believe he’s 8 years old!!! He was so little when we met!”

One text message reveals that Cunningham is “nervous about the next 100 days." This would date the message sometime around July 26, if Cunningham were referring to election day.

Cunningham celebrated his 20th wedding anniversary in May and has focused much of his campaign in his race against Republican Tom Tillis on his own military service.

Guzman Todd’s husband Jeremy Todd is a service member himself, having served 15 years and five combat deployments.

“My wife carried me through. She is really the superhero in all this. The wives are the unsung heroes of the military, the spouses that deal with everything. Without good wives and family, I don’t think soldiers would be successful in their missions and everything they do,” Todd said in a 2016 post from the University of Southern California highlighting his service and plans to study at the university.

After the text messages obtained exclusively by National File Reporter Patrick Howley made national headlines, Cunningham admitted that the messages were authentic, and apologized before calling the issue a “personal matter” and asking that his family’s “privacy be respected."

“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 in a statement sent to The Raleigh News & Observer.