One of the seven candidates for lieutenant governor took to social media Friday to criticize “radicals” in the Republican Party and say that he “deeply resent[s]” something that Gov. Glenn Youngkin has done.
It wasn’t one of the six Democrats.
Instead, it was John Reid, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor who now suddenly finds himself at odds with Youngkin, who wants Reid off the ticket, and, perhaps some members of the party’s Christian conservative base.
The dizzying sequence of events appears to go like this: On Friday afternoon, The Richmonder — a relatively new nonprofit news site in Richmond with an all-star team of journalists — reported that “GOP researchers found sexually explicit posts online that they believe are connected to Reid” and, as a result, Youngkin asked Reid to quit the race.
Reid said someone created a fake account on Tumblr using his standard online handle and posted pictures of “porn models. In a video statement, Reid called this “a total fabricated internet lie so basic a middle schooler could have constructed it.”
For those not familiar with the internet, yes, anyone can go on a social media site and create an account under any name that’s not already taken. That’s what those “blue checks” on Twitter/X and some other sites are about, to verify that the celebrity you’re following really is that person and not some imposter.
The Wayback Machine, an internet archive, shows the Tumblr account existed as far back as 2014. If Reid is right, and the Tumblr account was created by an imposter, that means the imposter did so at least 11 years ago, long before Reid entered the political arena. His LinkedIn profile shows that in 2014 he was executive vice president of a veterans group in New York. Not until three years later did he become a radio talk show host in Richmond, which has helped him build a following about conservatives in Virginia. The Tumblr account was deleted Friday afternoon, shortly after The Richmonder story was published.
Reid has not responded to inquiries from Cardinal News sent to both his campaign email address and his personal email account.
As events rapidly unfolded, these particular posts may be almost beside the point. Here’s a longer sequence of events, drawn from Reid’s video statement and various online posts over the past few weeks.
First, though, this may be the essential thing to know: Reid is gay and he says that’s what’s behind this attempt to force him off the Republican ticket. His sexual orientation has been no secret. Reid says he’s been openly gay for 30 years; his campaign website, under the “Meet John” autobiographical section, says “he now resides with his partner, Alonzo, in Richmond.”
In his video statement Friday, Reid said that “two weeks ago I got a late night phone call from a local religious activists, two people I’ve known for several years, who said there were photos that would destroy my life and I would never work in all of America again and it was in my best interest to drop out of the race for lieutenant governor.”
Reid said he asked for evidence and “the next day I was shown three pictures of me at a drag show in downtown Richmond.”
On April 17, Reid posted on Twitter/X: “ATTENTION: Since some shady anonymous political people have decided to ‘reveal’ personal pictures of me and Alonzo and pretend that they’re pornography…. (Ridiculous) Lemme show you some of my favorite pictures from the 78,000 pictures that I have on social media. After 20 plus years EVERY DAY on TV and radio and in public life I am the most transparent candidate to EVER run for office in Virginia. And note to the holier than thou jerks- stop being ridiculous or trying to bully me to quit. Not gonna happen.”
Less than an hour later, an anonymous account called “Virginia Supremacist” that was created in January posted two pictures that show Reid at a drag show.
After that, neither Reid nor the Virginia Supremacist posted anything about this again.
This past Monday, Pat Herrity, the other candidate for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, unexpectedly dropped out of the race, citing health issues. Herrity had been by far the better funded of the two candidates and many in the party felt that, as a Fairfax County supervisor, Herrity would help the ticket in vote-rich Northern Virginia in a way that Reid, a Richmond talk show host, would not.
The deadline for qualifying for the ballot in the June primary has passed so Herrity’s withdrawal automatically made Reid the Republican nominee — and the first openly gay candidate nominated by either party to run statewide in Virginia.
Since then I’ve heard some Republican leaders privately express concern that some religious members of their own party might not support Reid, but publicly the party seemed to rally around him.
Then on Friday came The Richmonder report. The Virginia Mercury confirmed that Youngkin had asked Reid to step down. The Mercury quoted an unnamed spokesman for the governor’s political action committee: “The Governor was made aware late Thursday of the disturbing online content. Friday morning, in a call with Mr. Reid, the Governor asked him to step down as the Lt. Governor nominee.”
Shortly afterwards, Reid posted a video in which he appeared before portraits of Youngkin and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the party’s nominee for governor.
“Send the kids out of the room, because I’m mad as hell and I want to tell you why,” he said.
Reid then detailed the threat to expose the pictures of him at a drag show. “Drag is not for kids but really, who cares what adults watch or what they do in an of-age restaurant or bar or club?”
He then went on to say that “I’ve been attacked online and harassed in person on and off for 30 years by the radicals in my own party simply for being gay and by angry leftists who call me a traitor.” He said that’s “predictable” but “what I didn’t expect was the governor I have always supported call and demand my resignation without even showing me the supposed evidence or offering me a chance to respond. I do not accept that and deeply resent it.”
In his video statement, Reid said he’d never “performed” or posted any pornography. “Have I seen porn? Yes. Have I had one night stands? Yes. Are my exes all still in love with me? No,” Reid said. “What more can I possibly tell you, and why am I the candidate who has to answer questions on this topic? Let’s be honest: It’s because I’m openly gay and I have never bowed down to the establishment, and I will not.”
Reid said that last year someone posted a “vile” meme that called him a pedophile and that “I had to fight to get that removed.” He said the events Friday constitute “another coordinated assassination attempt against me to force the first openly gay candidate off of a Virginia statewide ticket.” He called it “shameful” and vowed, “I won’t back down.”
From a factual point of view, it’s important to note that no one has suggested Reid has done anything illegal here. Instead, we have political implications: First, is it politically damaging for a candidate to have attended drag shows? Second, even if the Tumblr site was his, which Reid has denied, will it be politically damaging for a candidate to have posted nude photos of models — in this case, gay porn?
In politics, virtually everything is fair game so it seems reasonable to expect that even if Democrats themselves don’t directly make use of this material in the fall that someone somewhere will. What we don’t know is how the public will respond, starting with members of Reid’s own party. Will Reid become a distraction Republicans don’t need or will the public shrug and move on?
The initial reaction from Republicans was surprisingly muted.
Family Foundation Action, which calls itself a “faith-based non-profit dedicated to engaging & activating Christian conservative voters,” called on Reid to quit the race: “We strongly support Gov. Youngkin’s call for John Reid to step aside as the Lieutenant Governor candidate. Virginians want elected officials who represent their values.” So did the influential conservative talk show host John Fredericks: “I believe unequivocally that John Reid needs to drop out of this race.”
However, the Loudoun County Republican Committee, from a county that provided the fourth biggest number of Republican votes in the state four years ago, backed Reid: “We support JOHN REID! He is the right man for the job and has been STAUNCHLY CONSERVATIVE for decades. He has been a single voice for conservatism in Richmond for decades fighting the democrat machine. We are frustrated by these attacks on his character.”
Notably, neither of Reid’s ticketmates — Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for governor or Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is seeking reelection — had anything to say.
However, the more immediate political issue now isn’t simply whether this site was or was not Reid’s, but Reid’s criticism of “radicals” within his own party and the conflict with Youngkin.
Here are some questions, the answers to which may shape how this plays out:
- Youngkin is a popular figure within Republican ranks and, polls show, has approval ratings that routinely top 50% statewide. Republican hopes of another statewide sweep rest on the party capitalizing on Youngkin’s popularity, especially at a time when a Republican president — Donald Trump — is causing such turmoil in Washington. How will that work when Reid says that Youngkin wants him off the ticket?
- What, if anything, will Republicans do to try to force Reid off the ticket? There is no provision, in either the party’s rules or state laws, to remove Reid as nominee. He can only be replaced if he chooses to quit the race, which he says he won’t do. Democrats will nominate their candidate in a primary June 17. After that Republicans will face a choice: To rally behind a potentially damaged candidate or stand by and let a Democrat have an easier shot at winning.
- Reid’s statement about drag shows — “who cares what adults watch or what they do in an of-age restaurant or bar or club” — is a libertarian one that we don’t hear from many Republicans. How will that play in a party where those “radicals” he refers to are part of the Republican base?
- One of many ironies here is that when there was still a contest for the Republican nomination, Reid was seen by many as the more conservative of the two candidates. How does that factor into the party’s reaction?
- How will Reid’s forceful response play with party members (or the general public for that matter)? Both parties like candidates who are seen as “fighters.” Is all this perhaps an unintentional assist to Reid’s campaign by boosting his statewide profile and creating an image of a candidate who won’t back down to powerful figures, even within his own party?
- Virginia Republicans have, somewhat unintentionally, nominated the most diverse lineup in statewide history, without a single straight white man on the ticket. For governor, they have a Black woman who was born in Jamaica, for lieutenant governor they have a gay man, for attorney general they have the state’s highest-ranking Hispanic official. To what extent does this controversy damage (or help) Republican attempts to frame that unusual ticket?
As with many things, right now we have more questions than answers.
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