Democratic party candidate, Susanna Gibson, has narrowly missed out on the position in the House of Delegates after she was exposed for filming sex acts online.
Gibson, who also works as a nurse practitioner, went up against Republican David Owen in the Virginia race as Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin sought to retain control in the House of Delegates.
She ran with support from her party's senior leader, but became the subject of backlash after reports about videos of her performing sex acts with her husband to a live audience came to light.
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Videos showed Gibson interrupting sex acts to speak directly to the screen and encourage viewers to provide tips, which are paid through 'tokens' on the site.
The Washington Post reported that a Republican operative alerted it to the videos, after which Gibson described the leak as the 'worst gutter politics'.
She refused to drop out of the race and made clear she would not be silenced, but failed to receive enough support to beat Owen during the vote on Tuesday (7 November).
Gibson was beaten by less than 1,000 votes, in what was one of the most-watched races in the commonwealth.
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The candidate has not shared a comment about her loss on social media at the time of writing (8 November), but she was determined in the race as she continued campaigning right until the final hours.
In a statement to CNN, Gibson said the leaked images would not 'intimidate' her.
“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,” she said.
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“They are trying to silence me because they want to silence you, and I won’t let that happen.”
In a statement of his own to The Washington Post, Owen said his team 'found out about [the] story' at the same time as 'everyone else'.
“I’m sure this is a difficult time for Susanna and her family, and I’m remaining focused on my campaign," he said when the videos were first reported.
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Following his win, Owen said on Facebook it was an 'honor' to be elected.
"I will begin work immediately to provide the unity, common-sense leadership, and responsive service that I promised on the campaign trail and I’m ready to get to work on behalf of our families and communities," he continued.
"Thank you to the voters for this honor. Now, I’m ready to get to work!"
Topics: Sex and Relationships, US News, Politics
Emily Brown