Roy Moore Accuser To Run For Florida House

The Birmingham News reports:

Deborah Gibson, one of the women who said failed Senate candidate Roy Moore pursued her romantically as a teenager, has signaled her intention to run for the Florida Legislature. Gibson said she will seek the 89th District Seat in the Florida House as a Democrat. The seat is currently held by Republican Bill Hager.

“Coming off the sidelines for the first time politically seems a natural response to realizing that too many of us, particularly women, have felt that some special mysterious qualification was needed to participate in our democratic process as a candidate,” Gibson said in a statement posted to fundraising site CrowdPac.

Gibson, who lives in Delray Beach, Florida, was formerly a registered Republican. An Auburn University graduate, she is the founder of a company that provides sign language interpretation services. Candidate qualifying in Florida opens June 18 with the primary on Aug. 28 and general election Nov. 6.

From her press release:

There is a Chinese proverb that says “Women hold up half the sky.” Yet women do not hold 50% of the positions in our government.

Coming off the sidelines for the first time politically seems a natural response to realizing that too many of us, particularly women, have felt that some special mysterious qualification was needed to participate in our democratic process as a candidate.

The past 5 months have crystallized what’s been coming to me for a decade more gradually— the Republican Party is no longer the right fit for me; I am proudly running as a Democrat. I have held numerous leadership positions throughout my life, from president of student clubs to president of professional organizations.