Sen. Thom Tillis said his Democratic opponent Cal Cunningham owes North Carolina voters an apology after his recent texting scandal.
“Cal’s trying to finesse it as an errant text but we now have a second report,” Mr. Tillis said on Fox News Tuesday morning. “His family should be kept private. He’s got teenage children. But Cal owes North Carolinians, all the voters, a full and thorough explanation for what we now know are two separate events. And he is an officer in the military. He’s also subject to disciplinary action just on the basis of what he’s admitted to.”
Mr. Cunningham confirmed and apologized Friday for sending romantic texts to a woman who was not his wife, but said he had no plans to drop out of the race.
On Monday, NationalFile, which first published the texts last week, released a new report of a woman on Facebook claiming to know someone else who had an affair with Mr. Cunningham.
The second allegation has not been confirmed or acknowledged by the candidate.
The two are set in a tight race for the coveted Senate seat, with recent polling compiled by RealClearPolitics showing Mr. Cunningham with a slight lead.
The statement from the Democratic candidate on Friday came on the heels of Mr. Tillis testing positive for the coronavirus — both significant news cycles in the competitive race.
The North Carolina Republican is one of three GOP senators to test positive last week and one of two on the Senate Judiciary Committee set to push through Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination.
On Tuesday, Mr. Tillis said he was on the mend, and was asymptomatic when he was tested.
“I’m on a path for being able to be cleared. I don’t have any symptoms. I feel great, on a path to be cleared and be back in the Capitol for the hearings,” he said, noting he will likely be participating both virtually and in-person.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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