A candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates has accused Republicans of committing "sex crimes" by uploading footage of her engaging in sex acts online to derail her campaign. Susanna Gibson slammed her rivals for what she described as "vicious and low-level political tactics" after videos surfaced of her and her husband performing sex acts online for cash.
Gibson, a 40-year-old mother of two competing in a closely contested election to represent the state's District 57, hosted a number of live webcam shows on the adult website Chaturbate, according to a shocking report published by the Washington Post on Monday.
Slamming Her Critics for Uploading Her Videos
Since then, the nurse practitioner has attacked her political rivals, accusing them of engaging in shady tactics. She dubbed the situation as "An illegal invasion of my privacy intended to humiliate 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 told CNN in a statement on Tuesday.
"My opponent and his allies know that the people of this district are on our side on the issues, so they're stooping to the worst gutter politics," she added.
"There's too much at stake in this election and I'll never stop fighting for our community."
However, David Owen, the Republican businessman running against Gibson for a House of Delegates seat, stated that his campaign became aware of the videos only on Monday, just like the general public.
"I'm sure this is a difficult time for Susanna and her family, and I'm remaining focused on my campaign," Owen told The Post in a statement.
The sex tapes were posted to a publicly available archive on the website Recurbate in September 2022, after Gibson announced her campaign, according to the Washington Post.
Gibson appears to have maintained her Chaturbate profile, "hotwifeexperience," after announcing her candidacy in July 2022, uploading at least one photo of herself on the sex streaming site a month later.
She attracted around 5,770 Chaturbate subscribers, from whom she continuously demanded additional "tokens" in return for specific activities during "private" showings.
In her words, she was "raising money for a good cause."
A Different Fight Begins
The circulating sex videos, according to Gibson's attorney Daniel P. Watkins, violate Virginia's revenge porn legislation, which makes it illegal to "maliciously" distribute or sell nude or sexual photographs of another person with the intention to "coerce, harass, or intimidate."
"We are working directly with federal and local law enforcement to hold the wrongdoers accountable and to protect Mrs. Gibson's rights as the victim of a crime," Watkins, founder of Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP, told The New York Post.
The attorney referenced a 2021 ruling from the Virginia Appeals Court which declared it unlawful for a person to covertly record their partner during a consensual sexual encounter, even if the video was not distributed to others.
The videos obtained by DailyMail.com show Gibson, 40, who is also a nurse practitioner, was anything but discreet about her online sex encounters. The videos were uploaded to Chaturbate, a website that claims its name refers to "the act of masturbating while chatting online." One of her videos has since gone viral.
In the recordings, Gibson can be seen soliciting 'tips' from viewers to request particular sex acts, which is against Chaturbate's terms and policies, which says: "Requesting or demanding specific acts for tips may result in a ban from the Platform for all parties involved."
In one video clip obtained by DailyMail.com, Gibson tells her husband: "Ill let you f*** me in the a** doggy style in a private room if someone wants to pay. That's the deal."
At another point she can be heard saying: "Y'all can watch me pee if you tip me and some tokens, again I'm raising money for a good cause."
In some of her other videos, she mentioned that she and her husband had explored the idea of "swapping" with different partners, emphasizing her stance as "ethically non-monogamous." However, she also noted that her husband wasn't comfortable with the idea of sharing.
Gibson is set to compete against Owen in an election scheduled for November 7. This election will involve all 140 House and Senate seats in Virginia.
She is running a campaign revolving around affordable health care. "My particular medical experiences have given me a unique insight into the intersectionality of health with economic stability, education, environmental justice, discrimination, social support systems, and more, all of which greatly impact Virginia's policy and legislation needs," her website reads.
However, it is now unclear if Gibson will remain in the race, although she said the scandal "won't silence me."
Democrats maintain a four-vote advantage in the Senate, while Republicans hold a similar margin of control in the House of Delegates, which includes four currently unoccupied seats.
This electoral contest has drawn substantial funding and attention from both major political parties. They are locked in fierce legislative struggles, particularly as Governor Glenn Youngkin, a rising star in the Republican party, seeks to advance his conservative policy agenda while securing full control of the state government.
