Congressional Democrats from Virginia are trying to distance themselves from a Democratic candidate for the state House of Delegates after it was revealed she performed online sexual acts with her husband for money.
Susanna Gibson, a 40-year-old nurse practitioner gunning for a competitive district seat outside of Richmond that could help determine control of the Virginia House, has made recent campaign appearances with fellow Democrats such as Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.
Mrs. Gibson livestreamed sexual acts with her husband that were requested by viewers who paid her “tips.” She livestreamed the sex show on the website Chaturbate before her campaign, according to more than a dozen videos reviewed by The Washington Post.
Mr. Kaine and Mr. Warner both declined to say whether Mrs. Gibson should drop out of the race.
“I met Ms. Gibson once,” Mr. Warner told The Washington Times. “I’m anxious to hear — there have been reports from her campaign of pushback. I want to hear both sides and then I’ll weigh in.”
Mr. Kaine, who over the weekend attended a rally for local candidates, including Mrs. Gibson, said it was the first time he met her and that she is “one of the few General Assembly candidates who’s never asked me for an endorsement.”
“I don’t really know her that well, but I was very, very, very surprised at the story. It really took me aback,” Mr. Kaine told reporters during a video conference Wednesday.
“I don’t really have much sense of it because as far as I know, it’s the first time we’d met,” Mr. Kaine said when asked if he’d support Mrs. Gibson’s candidacy.
Ms. Spanberger declined to say if she still backs Mrs. Gibson, despite endorsing her and appearing at a recent event with her.
“It’s a shocking, terrible situation, and I’m late to a meeting,” Ms. Spanberger told The Times in the Capitol.
Mrs. Gibson, who has two young children, is running against Republican and retired businessman David Owen. She’s been endorsed and defended by Democratic-leaning groups and a top-ranking state Democratic lawmaker.
Democrats hold a four-vote margin in the Virginia state Senate but Republicans control the House with a four-vote margin.
Mrs. Gibson and her attorney have said the posting of the explicit videos to other public websites is revenge porn that violates state law. She said it represents “the worst gutter politics.”
“It won’t intimidate me, and it won’t silence me,” Mrs. Gibson said in a statement this week. “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.”
Mr. Owen, her Republican opponent, said he became aware of the videos only after they were reported by the media.
“I’m sure this is a difficult time for Susanna and her family, and I’m remaining focused on my campaign,” he said in a statement.
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