(NewsNation) — Democratic Virginia State Sen. L. Louise Lucas is among those coming to the defense of a legislative candidate whose race was rattled by the revelation that she and her husband livestreamed themselves having sex.
“I don’t know why, all of a sudden, this has gotten to be such an interesting story,” Lucas said. “Because I want to know what that has to do with her ability to legislate. She is right on the issues. She’s the right candidate for the right time. And I am personally standing with Susanna Gibson.”
Gibson, a Democrat running for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in a district just outside Richmond, issued a statement in which she denounced the sharing of the videos as a violation of the law and her privacy.
Gibson called the exposure of the videos “the worst gutter politics.”
Conservative commentators and media outlets have been quick to rebuke Gibson, with some likening the Democratic Party to “Pornhub.”
“Nobody is perfect,” Lucas said. “And the legislators are just like any other person in that community. They have their shortcomings, they have their outstanding features. And I can say to you, I don’t know what that issue with (her) and her husband has to do with her ability to serve in the legislature. We have a lot of people in the legislature who have done a lot worse things.”
The debate has highlighted perceived double standards in how female candidates’ personal lives are scrutinized.
“Republicans seem to be obsessed with women’s autonomy,” Lucas said.
Some conservative figures have noted that women on the right have faced criticism for their personal choices. They argue that a double standard exists when it comes to how the left and right address the personal matters of female candidates.
Fox News and the New York Post have criticized Gibbons for what they perceive as a lack of common sense.
On the other end of the political spectrum, left-leaning media and politicians have come to Gibbons’ defense. CNN published an op-ed denouncing the use of explicit content in political discourse.
“Okay, therein lies a double standard. And it’s always that way,” Lucas said. “You take one little thing that a man has done 10, 20, 100 times worse, but the woman has always gets the wrath as if all of us are perfect, and we’re not.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
