Susanna Gibson, a failed Democratic candidate for Virginia’s House of Delegates whose X-rated livestreams resurfaced during her campaign, told The Associated Press she isn’t ruling out another run for office.
Colleagues and I spoke with Susanna Gibson about the videos that emerged during her House campaign, why she “never once” thought of leaving the race, her regret, what she hopes to do next: https://t.co/ZdykW0e1oS
— Sarah Rankin (@sarah_rankin) November 17, 2023
Gibson, who solicited tips from viewers while livestreaming sex acts with her husband on the website Chaturbate, lost to Republican candidate David Owen on Nov. 7 by a razor thin margin of just 966 votes, according to Ballotpedia. (RELATED: Virginia Dem Candidate Filmed Herself Peeing Outside … And No, It’s Not The One Who Already Got Caught Doing Porn)
In an interview with AP published Friday, she refused to rule out another political campaign. She also maintained that a crime was committed when members of the media were alerted to the existence of videos she willingly livestreamed to the internet. “Consent to allow someone to view something that exists only as a moment in time or exists only in their memory is very different than consenting to allowing someone to have something that remains a permanent object and can be shared or viewed indefinitely,” she told the outlet.
Her lawyer Daniel Watkins claimed that the publication of the videos violated revenge porn laws, which criminalize “maliciously” spreading sexual images of another person with the intent to “coerce, harass, or intimidate,” AP noted.
Others have portrayed Gibson as the perpetrator rather than the victim of a crime, with two attorneys telling the Daily Wire that they believe she could be charged under Virginia’s prostitution law for accepting money to perform specific sex acts.
The Washington Post, which initially broke the story, obtained the videos from Recurbate, a publicly accessible website that archives streams from Chaturbate, the outlet claims.
Gibson told AP that the videos depicted consensual sexual acts between loving partners and should not have merited a news story. Ken Nunnenkamp, executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia, said they were disqualifying for public office, noting “he didn’t think it was the consenting sex that voters took issue with but rather the fact it was streamed online,” according to the AP.
While she remained vague about her future political ambitions, she did tell AP that “I won’t lose next time.”