Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants a fellow Republican to end his bid for state lieutenant governor over a nude picture scandal—but the candidate claims he’s getting pushed out because of his sexuality.
John Reid, the Old Dominion state’s first openly gay candidate for statewide office, clinched the GOP lieutenant governor nomination over opponent Pat Herrity on Monday, the Washington Post reported. In Virginia, the lieutenant governor is elected independently of the governor. Reid will go on to face a slew of other candidates for the spot in a November election.
Yet Reid said his win was short-lived after he got a call from Youngkin’s office about some lewd photos posted to an old social media account that allegedly matched Reid’s current social profiles.
The Tumblr account allegedly featured explicit photos of men and male genitalia, WaPo reported. Although the account was deleted, and Reid denies any association with the account, the political damage has been done, according to Youngkin’s office.
“The Governor did call me today and said there were salacious pictures on the internet reposted by an account that uses my Instagram handle,” Reid told WaPo. “I have now seen the supposed ‘evidence’ and it’s not my account, even though they’ve used a similar username to what I have on Instagram. As long as I have been in the public space, I have been a target for malicious and salacious lies. This is the second overt attempt to try to force me from the race.”
Reid also reportedly received a call from a religious activist urging him to drop out of the race over photos of him at a drag show, 4 Washington reported.
“The Governor was made aware late Thursday of the disturbing online content,” Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC said in a Friday written statement. ,“Friday morning, in a call with Mr. Reid, the Governor asked him to step down as the Lt. Governor nominee.”
In a video posted to X on Friday, Reid again alleged that he was the victim of a “coordinated character 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
“I’ve been openly gay for 30-plus years. I have not broken the law. I’ve told the truth about who I am for 30 years, and I’ll do it again now,” he said, standing in front of portraits of Youngkin and current Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
As governor, Youngkin is limited to serving one four-year term, and Earle-Sears is running to fill the top spot next.
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