Yikes!
The Virginia Democrat who gained notoriety for live-streaming sexual acts online for tips did not secure victory in her bid for the commonwealth’s House of Delegates, narrowly losing to the Republican candidate she accused of leaking her explicit online activities.
According to NY Post, Susanna Gibson, a nurse practitioner aged 40, was defeated by Republican businessman David Owen in the election held on Tuesday, but the margin was less than 1,000 votes.
This race was closely watched in the commonwealth, where Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin aimed to maintain control of the House of Delegates and shift the balance in the state Senate to enforce a 15-week abortion ban.
Gibson’s campaign drew national attention in September when it was revealed that she had hosted numerous live broadcasts on an adult streaming platform with her husband. These videos were made public in a publicly accessible archive in September 2022, shortly after she announced her candidacy, as first reported by The Washington Post.
Surprisingly, Gibson seemed to maintain her adult profile even after announcing her political campaign in July 2022. In the following month, she uploaded at least one picture of herself on the adult streaming site.
The unorthodox candidate had amassed more than 5,770 followers, whom she repeatedly encouraged to send her more “tokens” in exchange for specific acts during “private” shows, all while claiming it was for a charitable cause.
Following the revelation, Gibson criticized her political adversaries for engaging in what she considered to be underhanded tactics, referring to it as “an illegal invasion of my privacy designed to humiliate me.”
She stated, “My political opponents and their Republican allies have shown that they are willing to go to great lengths to attack me and my family, even resorting to illicit means to silence women who speak out.”
“My opponent and his supporters are aware that the people in this district support our positions on the issues, and therefore, they are resorting to the lowest form of political maneuvers,” she added. “There is too much at stake in this election, and I will continue to fight for our community.”
Owen consistently declined to comment on the controversy, maintaining that he had no involvement in the leak and was focused on his own campaign.
He remarked, “As for whether this disqualifies her or not, that will ultimately be up to the voters in the district.”
In the aftermath of the scandal, Gibson’s fundraising efforts received a boost, but her support among voters took a hit. A Cygnal poll indicated that she was trailing Owen by a margin of 49.5% to 38.9%.
As the election drew nearer, the Virginia GOP distributed mailers featuring screenshots from Gibson’s explicit live streams, accompanied by warnings about explicit content. The mailers also cautioned against opening them if under the age of 18, as reported by NBC News.
The Gibson campaign promptly condemned the Republican party for disseminating these flyers, accusing them of attempting to divert voters’ attention from their broader agenda, which included proposals to ban abortion, defund schools, and loosen restrictions on access to firearms for violent criminals.
My MAGA Republican opponents will stop at nothing to silence women in order to take away our rights. I’ll never stop fighting for our reproductive freedom. Make sure to VOTE on or before November 7, 2023. pic.twitter.com/PjRi3MxldJ
— Susanna Gibson (@SusannaSGibson) October 19, 2023