Cal Cunningham, the Democratic candidate for Senate in North Carolina, continued to dodge questions about his sex scandal during a virtual "news" conference on Friday.
Journalists participating in the tightly regulated campaign event, which did not permit interruptions or follow-ups, asked multiple versions of the same legitimate question: Are there more women? Cunningham, who has admitted to and apologized for having an extramarital affair with a married woman from California, repeatedly refused to answer.
"With all due respect, you didn't answer [the] question: Are there more women?" said local reporter Joe Bruno. But the candidate continued to rely on shop-worn talking points about how his campaign is "much bigger and more important than just me," how voters are "tired of hearing about personal issues," and how his opponent, Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.), is the only one who "wants to talk about this."
Another reporter framed the same question in a way that most voters would presumably consider relevant: Why should they send him to the Senate to represent them only to have his career derailed by revelations of additional affairs? Once again, however, Cunningham made clear that he didn't think voters deserved an answer. "I've said what I'm gonna say about it," he said. "I've answered the question."
Cal Cunningham was just asked TWICE if there any additional allegations of extramarital affairs that will surface?
No answer. #NCSen pic.twitter.com/wa8GF2XhqW
— America Rising (@AmericaRising) October 9, 2020
The Joe Biden campaign appears to agree with Cunningham that—as with Biden's position on court packing—there are just some things voters don't need to know. Biden's rapid response director, Andrew Bates, accused North Carolina journalists of being out of touch with voters in what can only be described as a dangerous assault on the media and democracy itself.
Hi, North Carolinian who's been on Joe Biden's campaign from the start here.
A lesson I will never forget after the last 17 (hundred) months: reporters and voters very often care about opposite things. #ncpol https://t.co/aGioXFsgF0
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewBatesNC) October 9, 2020
Bates has a history of denigrating the First Amendment by attacking reporters for doing their jobs.