John Reid is the GOP’s candidate for lieutenant governor in this year’s Virginia elections, which as off-year events that follow a Presidential election are viewed by many as a bellwether for the national mood. On Friday, the Richmonder reported that Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin asked Reid to withdraw from the race after GOP opposition researchers discovered sexually explicit posts on Tumblr that they believed were connected to Reid.
Reid says he didn’t create the posts. Over the weekend, an anonymous account on X posted what it said were photos of Reid, who is gay, at a drag show in Richmond with his partner. Reid posted a video Friday where he said he wouldn’t drop out and that someone opened an account with a name he used that included his Instagram name that “reposted nude pictures of other people.” He called the situation a “coordinated assassination attempt.”
Please watch and listen intently and hear the facts of the matter! Official Statement!!! pic.twitter.com/q5MxSorBZ9
— John Reid (@JohnReid4VA) April 25, 2025
Reid, a talk-radio host, became the GOP’s de facto nominee last week after Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity dropped out of the race.
On Sunday, Reid posted another video where he said Youngkin’s team said “if I dropped out of the race, they would purchase the opposition research and the lies and threats against me would suddenly stop.” Reid said that interaction amounted to extortion.
These guys are openly trying to extort me to make me quit!
I won’t stand for it! pic.twitter.com/vV2ZDh7cmP— John Reid (@JohnReid4VA) April 27, 2025
Reid made an appearance in Abingdon, Virginia, in the Southwest corner of the commonwealth. He was greeted warmly, the Washington Post reports, and one attendee compared his travails to President Trump’s legal woes before he was re-elected last November.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
