Cal Cunningham
Encyclopedia
James Calvin "Cal" Cunningham III (born 6 August 1973) is an attorney, captain in the United States Army Reserve
, and a former member of the North Carolina Senate
. He is a member of the Democratic Party
.
Cunningham ran for the United States Senate
in 2010
,
losing to Elaine Marshall
in a Democratic primary runoff
on June 22, 2010.
and grew up in Lexington, North Carolina
. He attended the Lexington City Schools and Forsyth Country Day School
where he graduated in 1991. Cunningham studied at Vanderbilt University
before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. He graduated from UNC in 1996 with a Bachelor's degree (with Honors) in Political Science and Philosophy. Cunningham received a Master's of Science in Public Policy and Public Administration from the London School of Economics
. He was awarded a law degree in 1999 from University of North Carolina School of Law
.
Cunningham also studied government in Thun, Switzerland, business and finance at the Carolina Business Institute
and international law through the Duke University
Asian American Transnational Law Institute in Hong Kong.
During the summer of 1993, Cunningham attended American University
and interned on Capitol Hill for a subcommittee chaired by Senator Carl Levin
.
During law school, Cunningham served as Chief Justice of the Student Supreme Court. He held the position for two terms and published the first Report of the Court’s cases.
. At the time of his election, he was North Carolina’s youngest legislator and represented parts of Davidson, Rowan and Iredell Counties. After the campaign, another candidate challenged Cunningham’s residency. The challenge was denied by the local and state Boards of Elections, Superior Court, and the North Carolina Court of Appeals
. The North Carolina Supreme Court
later refused to grant a stay against the earlier decision of the Court of Appeals.
In the Senate, Cunningham served as Vice Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and on the Education Appropriations, Policy and Joint Oversight Committees. Cunningham worked on privacy legislation, campaign reform, the patient’s bill of rights, the clean smokestacks bill, class size reductions and preservation of farmland.
He did not run for re-election after the 23rd district was split into three Republican-leaning districts by redistricting
.
in 2002 and has been mobilized for two active duty tours. In the Reserve, he serves with an airborne unit at Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
.
In 2007, Cunningham was mobilized by XVIII Airborne Corps and served as the senior trial counsel, Multi-National Corps - Iraq. In Iraq
, he pioneered an effort with the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute felony contractor misconduct and worked with the Major Procurement Fraud Task Force. He was lead counsel in the first court-martial of a contractor/civilian under the Uniform Code of Military Justice since 1968. For his service in Iraq, Cunningham was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. Cunningham also received the prestigious General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award.
In 2005, Cunningham also served with XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. He prosecuted felony and misdemeanor crimes committed on the Fort Bragg military reservation.
Cunningham was assigned to work with a special operations task force in Afghanistan
in 2011.
Cunningham is a graduate of the Judge Advocate Officer Advanced Course, Airborne School
and the Officer Basic Course. Prior to September 11, 2001, Cunningham served as a Third Class Petty Officer, Naval Reserve with Military Sealift Command, Port of Wilmington.
. He also served as an appointee of the Governor on the North Carolina Banking Commission. Cunningham serves on the North Carolina Democratic Party
Executive Committee.
. Other candidates in the May 4 Democratic primary included Elaine Marshall
and Ken Lewis. Retired NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark
endorsed Cunningham, saying that he would be "the first veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to serve in the U.S. Senate." Cunningham also received the endorsement of the state's largest organization of teachers, the North Carolina Association of Educators. Cunningham finished in second place in the primary, but since no candidate received 40 percent of the vote, he was entitled to advance to a runoff with the first-place finisher, Marshall. He lost the runoff election on June 22, 2010, with leading Democrats acknowledging that "the Wes Clark contingent in the (Democratic) party isn't really big".
For his military service, Cunningham has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal
, the Iraq Campaign Medal
, the Army Commendation Medal (3x), the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (2x), the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Device (2x) and the Parachutist Badge
.
In 2009, Cunningham was awarded the General Douglas MacArthur Award for Leadership as one of the outstanding company grade officers in the Army, including for his ground-breaking work in Iraq.
During college at UNC-Chapel Hill, Cunningham was inducted into the Golden Fleece Honorary Society and the Order of the Grail-Valkyries for his work in positions of student leadership. He was also inducted into the Pi Sigma Alpha
Political Science Honor Society for his academic work.
Cunningham appeared as a panelist on the American Public Television program, The Struggle for Moral Leadership, a series of two one-hour programs that explore ethics and morality in political leadership, which was moderated by Harvard University professor Arthur Miller and included political analyst George Stephanopoulos
.
In 2007, Cunningham was selected for a Marshall Memorial Fellowship and traveled to Belgium, France, Italy, Denmark and Poland to meet with government and civic leaders about Trans-Atlantic security, combating Islamic extremism and terrorism.
Cunningham has received a Pro Bono Impact Award and recognition from Legal Aid of Forsyth County for legal representation of victims of domestic violence and of tenants in disputes with their landlords.
Cunningham served from 2002 to 2005 as a Deacon at the First Presbyterian Church of Lexington and a partial term in 2006-07 as an Elder on the Session. He resigned from the Session for his deployment to Iraq.
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
, and a former member of the North Carolina Senate
North Carolina Senate
The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...
. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Cunningham ran for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 2010
United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on November 2, 2010. The filing deadline for the primaries was February 26; the primaries were held on May 4, with a Democratic primary runoff held on June 22. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Richard Burr won re-election to a...
,
losing to Elaine Marshall
Elaine Marshall
Elaine F. Marshall is the current North Carolina Secretary of State; she is the first woman to be elected to that office and the first woman elected to statewide executive office in North Carolina. Marshall was the Democratic Party's nominee for the United States Senate seat currently held by...
in a Democratic primary runoff
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
on June 22, 2010.
Early life and education
Cunningham was born in Winston-Salem, North CarolinaWinston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
and grew up in Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 19,953. It is located in central North Carolina, twenty miles south of Winston-Salem. Major highways include I-85, U.S. Route 29, U.S. Route 70, U.S. Route 52 ...
. He attended the Lexington City Schools and Forsyth Country Day School
Forsyth Country Day School
Forsyth Country Day School is an independent, coeducational, nonsectarian, college-preparatory day school, established in 1970, and located in Lewisville, North Carolina...
where he graduated in 1991. Cunningham studied at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. He graduated from UNC in 1996 with a Bachelor's degree (with Honors) in Political Science and Philosophy. Cunningham received a Master's of Science in Public Policy and Public Administration from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He was awarded a law degree in 1999 from University of North Carolina School of Law
University of North Carolina School of Law
The University of North Carolina School of Law is a professional school within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the nation and is the oldest law school in North Carolina. It is consistently ranked in the top-tier...
.
Cunningham also studied government in Thun, Switzerland, business and finance at the Carolina Business Institute
Carolina Business Institute
The Carolina Business Institute is a professional development program engineered through a collaboration between the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education.- Curriculum :Subjects taught include...
and international law through the Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
Asian American Transnational Law Institute in Hong Kong.
During the summer of 1993, Cunningham attended American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
and interned on Capitol Hill for a subcommittee chaired by Senator Carl Levin
Carl Levin
Carl Milton Levin is a Jewish-American United States Senator from Michigan, serving since 1979. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
.
UNC
At UNC-Chapel Hill, Cunningham was elected the Student Body President in 1995. He served ex officio on the Board of Trustees, the General Alumni Association Board of Directors, the Athletic Council, and the Board of Visitors. During his tenure, Cunningham worked to allocate tuition funds for need-based financial aid, faculty pay and the libraries. He supported campus transportation and safety, community service initiatives and an overhaul of campus dining.During law school, Cunningham served as Chief Justice of the Student Supreme Court. He held the position for two terms and published the first Report of the Court’s cases.
State Senate
In November 2000, Cunningham was elected to represent the 23rd Senate District in the 144th Session of the North Carolina General AssemblyNorth Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
. At the time of his election, he was North Carolina’s youngest legislator and represented parts of Davidson, Rowan and Iredell Counties. After the campaign, another candidate challenged Cunningham’s residency. The challenge was denied by the local and state Boards of Elections, Superior Court, and the North Carolina Court of Appeals
North Carolina Court of Appeals
The North Carolina Court of Appeals is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating groups of three...
. The North Carolina Supreme Court
North Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...
later refused to grant a stay against the earlier decision of the Court of Appeals.
In the Senate, Cunningham served as Vice Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and on the Education Appropriations, Policy and Joint Oversight Committees. Cunningham worked on privacy legislation, campaign reform, the patient’s bill of rights, the clean smokestacks bill, class size reductions and preservation of farmland.
He did not run for re-election after the 23rd district was split into three Republican-leaning districts by redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
.
U.S. Army Reserve
Cunningham was commissioned in the Army Reserve, Judge Advocate General's CorpsJudge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...
in 2002 and has been mobilized for two active duty tours. In the Reserve, he serves with an airborne unit at Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
.
In 2007, Cunningham was mobilized by XVIII Airborne Corps and served as the senior trial counsel, Multi-National Corps - Iraq. In Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, he pioneered an effort with the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute felony contractor misconduct and worked with the Major Procurement Fraud Task Force. He was lead counsel in the first court-martial of a contractor/civilian under the Uniform Code of Military Justice since 1968. For his service in Iraq, Cunningham was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. Cunningham also received the prestigious General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award.
In 2005, Cunningham also served with XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. He prosecuted felony and misdemeanor crimes committed on the Fort Bragg military reservation.
Cunningham was assigned to work with a special operations task force in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
in 2011.
Cunningham is a graduate of the Judge Advocate Officer Advanced Course, Airborne School
United States Army Airborne School
The United States Army Airborne School — widely known as Jump School — conducts the basic paratrooper training for the United States armed forces. It is operated by the 1st Battalion , 507th Infantry, United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia...
and the Officer Basic Course. Prior to September 11, 2001, Cunningham served as a Third Class Petty Officer, Naval Reserve with Military Sealift Command, Port of Wilmington.
Other involvement
Cunningham serves on various boards and commissions. Since 2003, he has served as an appointee of the Governor on the Board of Trustees of Davidson County Community CollegeDavidson County Community College
Davidson County Community College is a multi-campus, public, two-year higher-education institution. The Davidson Campus is centrally located between Lexington and Thomasville, Davidson County, North Carolina and first opened in 1958...
. He also served as an appointee of the Governor on the North Carolina Banking Commission. Cunningham serves on the North Carolina Democratic Party
North Carolina Democratic Party
The North Carolina Democratic Party is the North Carolina affiliate of the national Democratic Party in the United States. It is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. They are located in the historic Goodwin house which is located in the downtown area of Raleigh at 220 Hillsborough Street...
Executive Committee.
Senate campaign
In 2010, Cunningham filed as a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Richard BurrRichard Burr
Richard Mauze Burr is the senior United States Senator from North Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Burr represented North Carolina's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives....
. Other candidates in the May 4 Democratic primary included Elaine Marshall
Elaine Marshall
Elaine F. Marshall is the current North Carolina Secretary of State; she is the first woman to be elected to that office and the first woman elected to statewide executive office in North Carolina. Marshall was the Democratic Party's nominee for the United States Senate seat currently held by...
and Ken Lewis. Retired NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark
Wesley Clark
Wesley Kanne Clark, Sr., is a retired general of the United States Army. Graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and later graduated from the...
endorsed Cunningham, saying that he would be "the first veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to serve in the U.S. Senate." Cunningham also received the endorsement of the state's largest organization of teachers, the North Carolina Association of Educators. Cunningham finished in second place in the primary, but since no candidate received 40 percent of the vote, he was entitled to advance to a runoff with the first-place finisher, Marshall. He lost the runoff election on June 22, 2010, with leading Democrats acknowledging that "the Wes Clark contingent in the (Democratic) party isn't really big".
Legal practice
Cunningham is a litigation attorney with Carolina Litigation Group, handling "cases in a variety of subject areas from complex real estate disputes, breaches of contract and business torts to catastrophic personal injury and products liability." He is admitted to the Bar in North Carolina and admitted to practice before the Western, Middle and Eastern District federal courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.Awards, honors, community service
Cunningham has been recognized for his leadership by his selection as one of the Jaycees’ Outstanding Young North Carolinians and with the Distinguished Service Award. In 2007, he was selected one of the Triad’s Forty Leaders Under Forty.For his military service, Cunningham has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
, the Iraq Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
The Iraq Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004. The Iraq Campaign Medal was designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry....
, the Army Commendation Medal (3x), the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (2x), the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Device (2x) and the Parachutist Badge
Parachutist Badge
The Parachutist Badge or Parachutist Brevet is a military badge awarded by the Armed Forces of most countries in the world to soldiers who receive the proper parachute training and accomplish the required number of jumps. It is difficult to assess which country was the first to introduce such award...
.
In 2009, Cunningham was awarded the General Douglas MacArthur Award for Leadership as one of the outstanding company grade officers in the Army, including for his ground-breaking work in Iraq.
During college at UNC-Chapel Hill, Cunningham was inducted into the Golden Fleece Honorary Society and the Order of the Grail-Valkyries for his work in positions of student leadership. He was also inducted into the Pi Sigma Alpha
Pi sigma alpha
Pi Sigma Alpha , the National Political Science Honor Society, is the only honor society for college and university students of political science in the United States. Its purpose is to recognize and promote high academic achievement in the field of political science...
Political Science Honor Society for his academic work.
Cunningham appeared as a panelist on the American Public Television program, The Struggle for Moral Leadership, a series of two one-hour programs that explore ethics and morality in political leadership, which was moderated by Harvard University professor Arthur Miller and included political analyst George Stephanopoulos
George Stephanopoulos
George Robert Stephanopoulos is an American television journalist and a former political advisor.Stephanopoulos is most well known as the chief political correspondent for ABC News – the news division of the broadcast television network ABC – and a co-anchor of ABC News's morning news...
.
In 2007, Cunningham was selected for a Marshall Memorial Fellowship and traveled to Belgium, France, Italy, Denmark and Poland to meet with government and civic leaders about Trans-Atlantic security, combating Islamic extremism and terrorism.
Cunningham has received a Pro Bono Impact Award and recognition from Legal Aid of Forsyth County for legal representation of victims of domestic violence and of tenants in disputes with their landlords.
Cunningham served from 2002 to 2005 as a Deacon at the First Presbyterian Church of Lexington and a partial term in 2006-07 as an Elder on the Session. He resigned from the Session for his deployment to Iraq.
Personal life
Cunningham lives in Lexington with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children, Caroline (b. 2002) and Will (b. 2003). In 2007, Cunningham and his wife ran their fifth marathon together in Lake Tahoe. They have a golden retriever named Davidson.External links
- Carolina Litigation Group
- The Focal Points a blog by Cunningham
- Cal Cunningham for U.S. Senate official campaign website
- 2010 campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org