‘I will not back down’: Reid says he has no plans to exit LG race, despite governor’s request
With Reid facing pressure to drop out of the LG race, Republican ticket for statewide offices could be reset
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Days after John Reid became the de facto Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has asked him to drop out of the race. Reid vowed he would “not back down” in a fiery video response on his campaign’s Facebook page Friday evening.
Youngkin’s request, first reported by The Richmonder, came in response to allegations that a social media account with the same handle that Reid uses had shared pornographic content online. A Tumblr account bearing the same username Reid has used on other social media platforms included explicit photographs that had been reposted from other accounts.
“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,” a spokesperson for Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC said in a statement.
“I can tell you that’s not my account and anyone on the internet can open accounts with the same or similar names as other people,” Reid countered in the video. He went on to deny ever publicly performing or sharing anything pornographic.
“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.”
While he has come to expect “harassment and vulgar attacks” from “radical” Republicans and “angry leftists” for his identity as an openly gay Republican man, Reid said, “what I didn’t expect was the governor I have always supported to call and demand my resignation without even showing me the supposed evidence or offering me a chance to respond. I did not accept that and I deeply resent it.”
Characterizing the situation as an “assassination attempt,” Reid ended his remarks by thanking his supporters and signaled he’ll “have more to say” after consulting with lawyers and “officials across the state.”
When Fairfax County supervisor Pat Herrity dropped out for health reasons, Reid became the party’s candidate for lieutenant governor. Reid, a conservative radio host, is Virginia’s first openly gay candidate from either party for statewide office.
His campaign also falls at a time where the state legislature is advancing three Democrat-led constitutional amendments — one of which would remove a defunct 2006 prohibition on same-sex marriage from Virginia’s constitution. Most Republicans in the House (where all seats are up for election this year) and the state Senate either voted against the measure or abstained from voting.
Should Reid drop out, the Republican Party of Virginia’s state central committee would select a new candidate, RPV Chairman Mark Peake confirmed.
With both parties hosting primaries for various positions on June 17, early voting is set to begin on May 2. Herrity’s exit had made the Republican executive ticket uncontested within its own party — Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is running for governor, Attorney General Jason Miyares is pursuing reelection and Reid was set to be Earle-Sears’ successor in their challenge against Democrats for those roles later this year.
This article first appeared on Virginia Mercury and is republished here with permission. Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence.
