Deborah Wesson Gibson, one of the women who said failed Senate candidate Roy Moore pursued her romantically as a teenager, won't be running as Democrat for a seat in the Florida House.

Gibson told the Palm Beach Post she has abandoned plans to run as a Democrat due to state election laws that require a primary candidate to have been a member of the party they seek to represent for at least one year before the qualifying period. Gibson, a former registered Republican, officially changed her party affiliation on Feb. 18, 2018, WPTV reported.

The rule prompted Gibson to change to "unaffiliated" in the race for the 89th District Seat in the Florida House, a move that means she won't be on the August primary ballot but will compete in the November general election.

"The past five 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 have officially changed parties too recently to run at this time with a party affiliation in accordance with Florida's Statute 106, so although I am allowed to remain a Democrat, I am required to run with "no party affiliation/NPA" at this time," Gibson said in a statement posted to fundraising site Crowdpac.

Gibson said she decided to continue her campaign because "we need to move forward on the moment in history last fall where the societal shift began away from patriarchy toward more gender equality and diversity inclusion."

Incumbent Republican Rep. Bill Hager is prevented from seeking reelection due to term limits. Democrat Jim Bonfiglio has qualified to run.

Gibson, an Alabama native who now owns a sign language firm in Delray Beach, Florida, was propelled to the national stage last year when she was among the women who said Moore pursued her romantically as a teenager. The dating relationship between the two reportedly began when Moore, then with the Etowah County District Attorney's Office, spoke at Wesson's high school. Wesson did not accuse Moore of molesting her, saying their relationship consisted only of consensual kissing.

At least two other women have accused Moore of touching them sexually when they were teens. Moore, who lost to Democrat Doug Jones in the December 2017 Senate election, denies the allegations.