Name: How does Cunningham’s sex scandal compare to John Edwards? | Charlotte Observer
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How does Cunningham’s sex scandal compare to John Edwards? | Charlotte Observer

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This article is subscriber-only content. To get access to this and the rest of CharlotteObserver.com, subscribe or.Thanks for reading! To enjoy this article and more, please subscribe or.$1.99 for 1 month$12.99/month after, cancel anytime.Start now$1.99 for 1 month$12.99/month after, cancel anytime.Let Google manage your subscription and billing.SubscribeBy subscribing, you are agreeing to the CharlotteObserver.com'sand .Are you a subscriber and unable to read this article? You may need to upgrade.and learn more.&nbsp;A North Carolina Democrat was running for office when the headlines broke in October: Candidate embroiled in sex scandal.The year was 2007. The candidate, John Edwards, the former U.S. senator from North Carolina who was running for president.The story by the National Enquirer recounted his affair with a former campaign staffer. Edwards denied it on a sunny morning outside a barbecue restaurant in South Carolina.Click to resizeNow another North Carolina Democrat, Senate candidate Cal Cunningham, has found himself caught up in his own sex scandal.On Friday night his that he’d sent text messages of a sexual nature to a California woman. Cunningham is married and the father of two. The texts were first reported by the , a site that bills itself as publishing news of interest to the New Right.It’s unclear exactly what Cunningham’s relationship is with Arlene Guzman Todd, a public relations strategist from California. Or what the impact of the revelation will be on a race that could decide which party controls the Senate.Edwards went on to run in the 2008 primary against fellow Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. did he acknowledge having had a long-running affair with Rielle Hunter, though he denied an Enquirer report that he’d fathered her child. He would not acknowledge that until much later.Program on Public Life at UNC Chapel Hill, told the Observer Saturday.Aside from the scandalous headlines, the two cases are very different. Where Edwards tried to cover up the affair, and the child that came of it, for months, Cunningham acknowledged his own indiscretion early.“It’s a point in Cunningham’s favor that he admitted it right away and apologized right way without trying any kind of coverup,” she said.And then there’s the 2020 environment. Americans have seen many sex scandals.Many voters forgave President Donald Trump for his broadcast comments on the Access Hollywood tape in 2016, when he admitted to grabbing women by their private parts. The president has been accused of sexual affairs by multiple women and allegedly paid a settlement to porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence.But political scientist Susan Roberts of Davidson College said, “revelations.“Throughout history we have a long chain of prominent leaders, including presidents, who have had extramarital relationships and somehow survived,” he said.Manzo, who’s 34, said sexting isn’t that big an offense to her generation of millennials.“I’m not saying he made a good decision here, he did not,” she said. “(But) it’s more scandalous for people who haven’t grown up texting....“In the grand scheme of everything going on in 2020, this is a low saliency issue.”Related stories from Charlotte ObserverOctober 03, 2020 4:22 PMAuditor candidates Democrat Beth Wood and Republican Anthony Street have little in common but both care about how North Carolina spends its money.All-access digital subscription#ReadLocalConnect to local news for just $4.99 a month for 12 months.MORE ELECTIONSOctober 11, 2020 8:00 AMOctober 10, 2020 9:00 AMOctober 09, 2020 11:10 AMOctober 09, 2020 1:53 PMOctober 09, 2020 6:00 AMOctober 09, 2020 5:45 AM

This article is subscriber-only content. To get access to this and the rest of CharlotteObserver.com, subscribe or.Thanks for reading! To enjoy this article and more, please subscribe or.$1.99 for 1 month$12.99/month after, cancel anytime.Start now$1.99 for 1 month$12.99/month after, cancel anytime.Let Google manage your subscription and billing.SubscribeBy subscribing, you are agreeing to the CharlotteObserver.com'sand .Are you a subscriber and unable to read this article? You may need to upgrade.and learn more.&nbsp;A North Carolina Democrat was running for office when the headlines broke...

How does Cunningham’s sex scandal compare to John Edwards? | Charlotte Observer

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