The puns about Mom Demand Action are common online. Truth can be stranger than fiction, and the puns are coming alive in a crucial race for the Virginia House of Delegates District 57. The Washington Post reported the wild story (archived links):

Va. Dem. House candidate performed sex online with husband for tips
Susanna Gibson is running in a competitive district with control of the House at stake
By Laura Vozzella

RICHMOND — A Democrat running for a crucial seat in Virginia’s House of Delegates performed sex acts with her husband for a live online audience and encouraged viewers to pay them with “tips” for specific requests, according to online videos viewed by The Washington Post.

Susanna Gibson, a nurse practitioner and mother of two young children running in a highly competitive suburban Richmond district, streamed sex acts on Chaturbate, a platform that says it takes its name from “the act of masturbating while chatting online.”

Chaturbate videos are streamed live on that site and are often archived on other publicly available sites. More than a dozen videos posted under Gibson’s Chaturbate username were archived on one of those sites — Recurbate — in September 2022, after she entered the race. The most recent were two videos archived on Sept. 30, 2022. It is unclear when the live stream occurred.

[…]

Gibson, 40, can be seen in the videos soliciting “tips” for performing specific acts — in apparent violation of Chaturbate’s terms and conditions, which say: “Requesting or demanding specific acts for tips may result in a ban from the Platform for all parties involved.”

In at least two videos, she tells viewers she is “raising money for a good cause.”

In multiple videos, Gibson interrupts sex acts to type into a bedside computer. Speaking directly into the screen, she urges viewers to provide tips, which are paid through “tokens” purchased through the site. In at least two videos, she agrees to perform certain acts only in a “private room,” an arrangement that requires the viewer to pay more.

“I need, like, more tokens before I let him do that,” she responds to a request that they perform a certain act. “One token, no. More. Raising money for a good cause.”

Almost immediately, as tips apparently arrive, she says “thank you” five times and tells her husband she will agree to that act.

What good cause might that be? Her campaign for the Virginia House of Delegates which includes an “assault weapon” ban (archived links)? Moms Demand Action noticed her early on and endorsed her, giving her their “Gun Sense Candidate” distinction (archived links).

I'm thrilled to announce that my campaign has been awarded the 2023 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction! Gun violence prevention is a top priority of mine, and it is personal. (THREAD) pic.twitter.com/XoaUg2eXin

— Susanna Gibson (@SusannaSGibson) May 4, 2023

The leak is a problem for her campaign, so Gibson immediately pounced on it, blaming her opponent who was himself caught off-guard:

“It won’t intimidate me and it won’t silence me,” she said. “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.” 

[…]

Gibson faces Republican David Owen, a retired home builder, on Nov. 7, when all 140 seats in Virginia’s House and Senate will be on the ballot.

“Me and my team found out about this story today like everyone else,” Owen said in a written statement Monday afternoon, soon after The Post published an article about Gibson. “I’m sure this is a difficult time for Susanna and her family, and I’m remaining focused on my campaign.”

What’s at stake in this election? The Washington Post drums up abortion bans and corporate tax cuts:

Theirs is one of just a handful of contests in each chamber expected to determine control of the legislature and whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) can enact a conservative political agenda that includes banning abortion after 15 weeks, with some exceptions. […]

Saddled with a divided Capitol for the first half of his four-year term, Youngkin has been unable to enact the abortion ban, corporate tax cuts or other priorities. 

“Other priorities” is a catch-all phrase, and I hope it includes gun rights. The previous Governor Ralph Northam (D) had a Democrat trifecta to his benefit, and seized that opportunity to do a lot of damage to gun rights in Virginia. It’s important that the damage be undone and a Republican trifecta is necessary to push that forward, given how support for gun rights has seemingly plummeted in the Democratic Party. Let’s hope the Moms Demand Action-endorsed naughty nurse does her part in delivering that.