RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Reactions are pouring in after the Washington Post revealed shocking allegations against a candidate running in a competitive Virginia House of Delegates seat.

According to the Washington Post’s reporting, Susanna Gibson — who is running to represent parts of Henrico and Goochland Counties (District 57) — performed sex acts with her husband in live online videos and asked viewers for tips to perform certain acts. The report adds the videos were streamed on a website called Chaturbate and more than a dozen videos were archived on other websites.

In a statement to 8News, Gibson said the following:

This is an illegal invasion of my privacy designed to humiliate me and my family. It 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. They are trying to silence me because they want to silence you, and I won’t let that happen. 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. There’s too much at stake in this election and I’ll never stop fighting for our community.

Statement from Susanna Gibson

“Where we normally think of sex tape, ‘that’s bad, something bad has happened,’ but I actually do think that a lot of Democrats in particular are thinking that this is consensual sex,” said Randolph-Macon political science professor, Rich Meagher. “It’s with her husband.”

Gibson is in a tight battle with Republican David Owen in the 57th District.

In a statement, Owen told 8News, “I’m sure this is a difficult time for Susanna and her family, and I’m remaining focused on my campaign.”

The district narrowly voted for Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2021, but favored Democrats in congressional races in 2022.

Meagher says due to extreme political polarization, Gibson’s latest controversy is unlikely to have a big impact on the race.

“If this is something that would offend you as a voter, you probably weren’t going to vote for her anyway,” Meagher said. “If this is something that doesn’t bother you, you were probably going to vote for her in the first place. I don’t think the dynamic of voting for most of the people in the district.”

Youngkin reacted to the news saying he’s focused on electing Republican candidates. 

“I think that’s a topic she and the Democratic Party are going to have to deal with,” Youngkin said.