Virginia Dem Candidate Who Live-Streamed Sex Loses Election Bid

Susanna Gibson, the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s House of Delegates’ 57th District who recorded herself having sex for a pornographic website, narrowly lost the election to the seat on Tuesday, according to Ballotpedia.

Gibson, a registered nurse practitioner and mother of two children, lost the race to Republican candidate David Owen by a slim margin of 966 votes, according to Ballotpedia. Gibson made international headlines on Sept. 11 after an investigative report by The Washington Post revealed that she had uploaded videos of herself and her husband having sexual intercourse onto the pornographic website Chaturbate, in exchange for money from viewership.

“It was such an honor to cast a ballot with my name on it today. As I reflect on the work we’ve done over the past many months, I am filled with gratitude for the countless people who have stepped up to help this team with so much on the line,” wrote Gibson in a post on Twitter, now known as X, shortly after she had cast her ballot and before the polls closed. Gibson has not yet released a statement on her loss.

House District 57 covers the city of Charlottesville in central Virginia and is home to the University of Virginia, which includes a large student population that is likely to favor Democrats. The district leans Democratic, according to Ballotpedia, and had been represented by a Democrat since 2013.

After the discovery of Gibson’s public sexual history, several Democratic officials who had endorsed her candidacy did not join her at appearances, and she removed the list of Democratic endorsements from her website.

“[The videos are] an illegal invasion of my privacy designed to humiliate me and my family. It won’t intimidate me and it won’t silence me,” Gibson said after the videos were discovered. “My political opponents and their Republican allies have proven they’re willing to commit a sex crime to attack me and my family because there’s no line they won’t cross to silence women when they speak up.”

While the videos damaged Gibson’s campaign, her opponent, Owen, had declined to use the footage in his campaign efforts. “I’m sure this is a difficult time for Susanna and her family, and I’m remaining focused on my campaign,” he told the Post about the story.

Gibson continued to campaign openly after her scandal, with her rhetoric primarily focused on abortion. She accused Republican candidates of seeking to restrict the procedure unreasonably.

Democrats won control of the House of Delegates after Tuesday night’s election and retained control of the state Senate, giving the party a majority in both Houses of the General Assembly and dealing a blow to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s agenda.

“It’s my honor to be elected Delegate in HD-57 last night. I will begin work immediately to provide the unity, common-sense leadership, and responsive service that I promised,” wrote Owen in a statement on Twitter, now known as X, Wednesday after he was elected. “Now, I’m ready to get to work!”

Gibson and the Democratic Party of Virginia did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.