One of two women accusing Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual misconduct is running for political office in California.
Vanessa Tyson, a member of the Democratic Party, recently launched her bid for a state Assembly seat in Whittier, a city near Los Angeles.
Tyson, a politics professor at Scripps College, gained national attention in February when she said Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex on him on July 26, 2004, when they were both attending the Democratic National Convention in Boston.
Days later, a second woman, Meredith Watson, also came forward with sexual assault allegations against Fairfax, 40, accusing him of a “premeditated and aggressive” attack in 2000 when both were students at Duke University.
Fairfax, a former federal prosecutor, has vehemently denied both allegations and in September filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against CBS for its on-air interviews with the women.