Who is Cal Cunningham's wife Elizabeth? Senator admits to sending sexually-suggestive texts to another woman
A married father of two, North Carolina Democratic US Senate candidate Cal Cunningham was caught in a scandal after he apologized for sending sexually suggestive text messages to a woman in California. First reported by NationalFile.com, the report includes screenshots of the text messages between Cunningham and Arlene Guzman Todd — a public relations strategist from California.
As per the report, Guzman — also married — “is the female paramour of candidate Cunningham,” according to a friend of Guzman Todd’s in North Carolina who spoke with the outlet's source. The extramarital activity with the wife of a fellow veteran came to light as photos spilled details of text messages, where they confessed about kissing each other and more.
“Would make my day to roll over and kiss you about now,” Cunningham expressed in one text message. In another text, Guzman reiterated the same sentiment and said, “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.” In response to that, Cunningham said that “sounds so hot and so fun!” The report also details how Cunningham called Guzman “historically sexy,” imagined kissing her, and said he had been dreaming “of our time together.” Not just that, the two also planned to “make up an excuse for the fam and ditch the staffer” so they could meet and, in Guzman Todd’s words, “kiss a lot.”
What Cal Cunningham had to say?
Born in Winston-Salem and raised in Lexington, North Carolina, Cal Cunningham is a lawyer and the lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve. The 47-year-old Democratic Party member served as the North Carolina State Senator from the 23rd district from 2001 to 2003 and has been currently leading in his Senate race against Republican rival Thom Tillis.
Apologizing for sending those messages in the past, he said on Friday, October 2, that he is not dropping out of the race. “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 an official statement sent to The News & Observer. “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.”
Per the outlet, although the text messages do not contain dates, they could have been exchanged around July 26. In one of them, Cunningham indicates he is “nervous about the next 100 days,” and the US Elections is scheduled for November 3.
Who is his wife, Elizabeth Cunningham?
Cunningham met his wife Elizabeth in 1997 and the couple is parents of two children. She has quite often openly praised his achievements and supported him in the past. Talking about how she saw his passion to serve others when they just met, Elizabeth said in an at-home interview with Loretta Boniti, “We knew that whatever he would be asked to do, that he had a lot of skills that he could offer,” adding, “And it was a time for everybody to step up and do what they could do. Whether that was in Lexington or whether, as he was eventually asked to do, in Iraq and Afghanistan and Fort Bragg. It wasn't easy every part of it, all of the time, but certainly ended up being the right thing for him to do.
Back in 2010, she reportedly sent a personal email with an endorsement for her husband. “I've been married to Cal for nine years, and I know he's in this race for all the right reasons,” she began. “I couldn't be prouder of Cal's record as a fighter for the people and causes he believes in. In the State Senate, he fought for strong schools, clean air, job training, and government reform. In Iraq, he fought contractor crimes and fraud that harmed the mission and wasted taxpayer funds. Now he's ready to fight just as hard for North Carolina families in our nation's capital.”
On February 14, 2020, Cunningham tweeted a photo of his family and wrote: “Voted early with Elizabeth and Caroline—who cast her first-ever ballot. What a special morning!”
Voted early with Elizabeth and Caroline—who cast her first-ever ballot. What a special morning! pic.twitter.com/WKtfmGmDHl
— Cal Cunningham (@CalforNC) February 14, 2020
Who is Arlene Guzman Todd's husband?
Meanwhile, Guzman was listed as media director of a marijuana public relations company and has been a California State University lecturer. Her husband Jeremy Todd was an Army Sergeant First Class who served 15 years in the US Army with five combat deployments including in Iraq and Afghanistan, then studied at the University of Southern California.
A feature by USC News reads that Todd was a military kid, whose father (Army) and grandfather (Air Force) both served more than 20 years in the military. “I’m not from anywhere,” he said. “I’ve moved around my entire life. I even have an adopted sister from Korea when I lived there as a kid.
“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,” Jeremy Todd said of his military wife in the same interview. He also said: “The Army has a saying and when I mess up, it’s how I refocus: ‘Mission first, people always.’ It’s about having your priorities in order. My family. The Special Operations community. That’s what life is all about: relationships.” Jeremy Todd wasn't available for a comment when NationalFile.com tried to reach him.