Democrat Susanna Gibson has conceded her race to represent Virginia’s 57th House of Delegates district, which drew national attention after the release of a sex video.
Republican businessman David Owens defeated Gibson, a nurse practitioner, in the competitive district outside Richmond, according to results from Decision Desk HQ.
“The fight to protect women’s bodily autonomy, to improve our children’s education, and to ensure better healthcare for all is too important. We can’t let one setback deter us,” Gibson wrote in a statement Thursday.
“I won’t give up. We can’t give up. I look forward to fighting alongside each and every one of you in the future.”
In September, The Washington Post reported Gibson and her husband livestreamed a video of them performing sexual acts on the website Chaturbate and asked viewers to pay them money.
Gibson released a statement following the report in September, saying the surfacing of the footage “won’t intimidate me, and it won’t silence me.”
“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,” Gibson said.
However, last month Virginia’s Republican Party mailed flyers with a label warning of “explicit material” and to “not open if you are under the age of 18.” The return address in the corner lists “Paid for by the Republican Party of Virginia.”
The flyers allegedly contain screenshots from “videos” by Gibson.
Owens declared victory in the race Wednesday, with results showing him almost a thousand votes ahead with all precincts reporting.
“It’s my honor to be elected Delegate in HD-57 last night,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I will begin work immediately to provide the unity, common-sense leadership, and responsive service that I promised.”
