John Reid says he will not quit race for Virginia lieutenant governor; threatens legal action

Kate Seltzer, The Virginian-Pilot on Apr 28, 2025

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NORFOLK, Va. — Neither Lt. Gov. candidate John Reid nor Gov. Glenn Youngkin appears prepared to back down from the budding fight that fractured the statewide Republican party.

As initially reported by The Richmonder, Youngkin called Reid Friday morning to request he step down from his candidacy for lieutenant governor. That’s after a Tumblr account surfaced that contained reposts of pictures of naked men, The Richmonder reported. The username of that account matches the name Reid uses on other personal social media platforms.

Reid, the first openly gay politician on the statewide ballot, denies that the account is his. And, in a video over the weekend, he reiterated that he had no intention of stepping down. He also accused members of the governor’s PAC of extortion, saying that they told representatives of his campaign that if he dropped out, the governor’s team would “purchase the opposition research and the lies and threats … would suddenly stop.”

“I have engaged legal counsel to pursue all options against these people,” Reid said in the video. “I’m a conservative Trump supporter, and I’m gay, and everyone knows it because I’ve told you in person and in the media for decades. I’ve not broken any law.”

Youngkin’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Early voting for the June 17 primary begins Friday. Reid became the sole Republican candidate for lieutenant governor after his primary challenger, Pat Herrity, dropped out of the election earlier this month, citing health concerns. That’s too late for anyone else to appear on the ballot, though the state Republican party could appoint someone else if Reid did step down.

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate for governor, has not publicly spoken on the rift.

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