Republican David Owen defeated Democrat Susanna Gibson for the Virginia House of Delegates 57th District seat by a slim margin.
Although polls showed a close race, analysts said Gibson’s campaign was hurt after a Republican operative alerted the media of previously live-streamed videos of Gibson and her husband performing sex acts in September, according to The Washington Post.
Gibson raised nearly $490,000 the month her sex tapes were released, ranking her 12th for funding among House candidates, however, she still ranked under Owen’s donations, according to multiple news sources.
Owen secured votes with a campaign focused on lowering inflation, funding law enforcement, protecting parent involvement with education and supporting small businesses, according to his campaign website.
Owen has called himself pro-life and supports abortions until 15 weeks into a pregnancy, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He did not take a stance on abortion on his campaign website.
The majority of the 57th District voted for former President Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, according to The Virginia Public Access Project. Owen’s victory continues the district's long history of voting for Republicans.
Overall, in a financially close race, Gibson raised nearly $1.7 million and Owen raised nearly $1.3 million in campaign funds, according to VPAP.
Contact writers Alexa Mora and Ava Humphries at alexa.mora@richmond.edu and ava.humphries@richmond.edu.
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