Republican David Owen currently holds a small lead over Democrat Susanna Gibson in a closely watched Virginia House of Delegates race. The race gained attention after it was revealed that Gibson had engaged in explicit acts with her husband on a pornographic website. However, it is still too early to determine the final outcome of the race.
Gibson ran against Owen in one of the most fiercely contested districts in the state. This comes after all 100 seats in the House of Delegates were redrawn to align with the 2020 Census.
Following the news reports in September about her involvement in livestreamed sexual activities, many political scientists dismissed Gibson’s chances of winning. The explicit content included soliciting payments from viewers in exchange for specific acts. Despite the controversy, Gibson, who works as a nurse practitioner, decided to remain in the race and accused Republicans of engaging in dirty politics by exposing her conduct. She largely disregarded the allegations and instead focused on advocating for abortion rights, which Democrats believed were at risk if Republicans gained control of the Legislature. Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin has been pushing for a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger.
This race was considered to be one of several that could determine control of the House of Delegates. However, even if Owen manages to secure a victory, Republicans have already lost control of the House of Delegates statewide. Democrats have secured at least 51 out of the 100 seats in the chamber.
Owen expressed his gratitude to voters and declared victory in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. He pledged to immediately begin working towards providing unity, sensible leadership, and responsive service as promised during his campaign.
Democrats have also maintained their narrow margin in the state Senate. These legislative wins will enable Democrats to block Youngkin’s policy agenda, although they will need to collaborate with him to advance their own priorities.
Voters had mixed opinions on the scandal surrounding Gibson’s videos. Sonny Yeary, a 59-year-old graphic designer, stated that he voted for Owen primarily because he was bothered by Gibson’s explicit videos. On the other hand, Donna Taylor, a 54-year-old office manager, voted for Gibson and believed that her private lifestyle had no impact on her ability to perform her job.
Republicans made efforts to remind voters about Gibson’s videos. The Republican Party of Virginia sent mailers containing screenshots to voters, cautioning that explicit material was enclosed and should not be opened by minors.
Gibson responded to the GOP attacks in an op-ed piece for the left-leaning website Blue Virginia, criticizing her Republican opponents as politicians who believe they have the right to interfere in people’s private lives and control their bodily autonomy.
The 57th District, which includes parts of Henrico and Goochland counties in Richmond’s western suburbs, is considered the third most competitive district out of Virginia’s 100 House of Delegates districts. The nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project rated it as slightly leaning towards Republicans based on recent voting patterns. It is important to note that voters in Virginia do not register by party.
