Virginia woman who was fired for flipping off Trump's motorcade while cycling wins local election
A cyclist from Virginia who was fired from her job for giving the middle finger to President Donald Trump's motorcade has won a seat on her country's Board of Supervisors against an incumbent Republican, reports state.
The woman, Juli Briskman, defeated Republican Suzanne Volpe, 5,586 to 4,721, for the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Algonkian District. Briskman, on Tuesday night, with 99 percent of the vote reported by the Loudon County Office of Elections, was ahead of Volpe with 52 percent of the votes.
She announced her victory on Twitter shortly after the counting, writing: "Looking forward to representing my friends & neighbors in #Algonkian District who backed me up today! So proud that we were able to#FlipLoudpun #FlipVA #LOCO219 Thank you Loudoun!"
Briskman, in her statement, said one of her main goals would be to increase transparency in local government.
The politician's campaign website states: "We live in a great community and we deserve a Board of Supervisors that does more to support our schools, first responders, working women, and families. That's why I'm running." The website also introduces her as the woman who "famously flipped off the president. Now Juli Briskman is running for office."
Briskman was famously photographed in October 2017 on a bike and flipping off Trump's motorcade as it went by her. Shortly after the picture went viral, she told her bosses at Akima LLC of what had happened and she was asked to leave her government contracting job or face being fired. The Democrat then sued her workplace and won a severance claim, however, her wrongful-termination lawsuit was dismissed.
Democrats in Virginia won the legislative and local elections, taking full control of the statehouse for the first time in more than two decades. The candidates won majorities in both the state House and Senate, marking the third election in a row where Virginia Democrats have made significant gains ever since Trump was elected as president.