Cunningham widens lead over Tillis after news of affair: poll
By Tal Axelrod - 10/13/20 03:44 PM EDT
Cal Cunningham has widened his lead over Sen. Thom Tillis (R) in North Carolina's marquee Senate race after revelations over an extramarital affair threatened to derail the Democrat's candidacy.
Cunningham led Tillis, who is running for a second term, by a 48 to 44 percent margin among registered voters in a new Monmouth University poll released Tuesday. The former state senator’s lead grows to 5 points among likely voters in a high turnout scenario, 49 to 44 percent, while his lead shrinks to 1 point, 48 to 47 percent, in a low turnout scenario.
Despite the scandal over Cunningham’s affair, the Democrat’s lead grew from the same poll from September, which was released before the scandal hit and showed Cunningham with a slimmer 1-point lead over Tillis among registered voters.
The survey suggests the Senate race will closely match the results of the presidential race, with Democratic nominee Joe Biden leading President Trump by anywhere from 1 to 4 points, depending on the turnout model.
The poll is a boon for the Cunningham, who is married. Texts revealed he exchanged messages of a sexual nature with another married woman, Arlene Guzman Todd, a public relations strategist from California. Todd later confirmed the two had had an affair.
Cunningham also serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, which is investigating the relationship.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/520846-cunningham-holds-lead-over-tillis-in-poll-after-news-of-affair-poll