CLASHES WITH EX

X-Rated House Candidate Arrested for Domestic Violence

The former candidate claims the charges were a false report from her ex-husband.

A former Democratic candidate who was the victim of revenge porn when online sex tapes were leaked has been arrested on a domestic battery charge relating to her ex-husband. Susanna Gibson Payne, 42, turned herself in and was released. She said her ex had filed the complaint against her. “After my estranged husband, arrested three times since I filed for divorce, assaulted me during a June 2025 custody exchange while I protected our son, he filed a retaliatory criminal complaint against me,” Payne told the NY Post. “More than three months later, police issued a misdemeanor warrant for my arrest. I turned myself in immediately,” she added. Court records show her ex-husband, John Gibson, was arrested several times last year for extortion, threatening language, and violating a protective order. In 2023, Payne ran as an underdog candidate for a seat in the Virginia state legislature, which was derailed after Republicans leaked X-rated videos of her and her husband online without her consent. She ended up losing the race by fewer than 1,000 votes and has since dedicated herself to campaigning against gender-based and sexual violence, particularly in online spheres.