RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Republican David Owen has defeated Democrat Susanna Gibson in Virginia’s House of Delegates District 57 race, according to The Associated Press.
The race for the district, which includes parts of western Henrico and Goochland, was seen as one of the most competitive in Virginia after redistricting.
Owen, who has 17,878 votes to Gibson’s 16,912 as of Wednesday afternoon, declared victory before the AP called the race for him. Despite his victory, Democrats still seized a majority in the House of Delegates to take full control of the General Assembly.
“It’s my honor to be elected Delegate in HD-57 last night. I will begin work immediately to provide the unity, common-sense leadership, and responsive service that I promised,” Owen wrote on X. “Thank you to the voters for this honor. Now, I’m ready to get to work!”
The election picked up more attention after reports came out about Gibson livestreaming sex acts with her husband and soliciting payments on a porn site.
Gibson, a nurse practitioner, condemned the sharing of the videos and images, which were made public after a Republican operative informed the press, as the “worst gutter politics.”
Owen, a Henrico County native and retired home builder, avoided direct attacks on Gibson about the reports. The Republican Party of Virginia shared screenshots and explicit quotes from the videos in a mailer to voters before the election.
Gibson outraised and outspent Owen, each spending more than $1 million on their campaigns, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
8News relies on The Associated Press for calls on state legislative races and local ballot questions. All election results are unofficial until certified by the state Board of Elections.
