There is some serious Republican drama unfolding in Virginia, and it could have a major impact on the 2025 governor’s race between Winsome Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who are vying to become the commonwealth’s first female governor.
As RedState has noted in the past, Virginia holds its elections in off years, and this year, voters will be deciding on the next governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. The current governor, Glenn Youngkin, is term-limited from running again, and Sears, the sitting lieutenant governor, sits atop the ticket, with the current attorney general, Jason Miyares, running for a second term.
Until last week, there was a primary race underway for lieutenant governor, with Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity taking on conservative radio host John Reid for the nomination. Herrity dropped out of the race last Monday due to ongoing health issues related to recent heart surgery, so Reid was in, and the Republican ticket of Sears-Reid-Miyares was set.
Or, so it seemed.
On Friday The Richmonder reported that Gov. Youngkin had placed a call to Reid, the first openly gay candidate for statewide office, and asked that Reid step away from the ticket. At issue was apparently a now-deleted Tumblr account on which some questionable content was posted that used a name similar to one Reid has used elsewhere online.
“The Governor was made aware late Thursday of the disturbing online content,” a spokesperson for Spirit of Virginia said. “Friday morning, in a call with Mr. Reid, the Governor asked him to step down as the Lt. Governor nominee.”
There has been rampant speculation online that a Youngkin consultant urged the governor to place the call to Reid, possibly using information obtained from an opposition research firm.
Reid denied the Tumblr account was his, stating: “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.” On Sunday, he released a video stating that he would not be stepping away from the ticket.
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
On Monday evening, Reid’s attorneys sent a cease and desist letter to the Youngkin consultant in question, via Youngkin’s political arm Spirit of Virginia, referencing “false and defamatory statements” the consultant is alleged to have disseminated about Reid. The letter also references a May 3 deadline that the consultant apparently gave Reid advising him to step away from the ticket or face the release of additional and presumably salacious information.
It’s important to note here that, despite repeated calls by conservative activists over the last few days for the supposed incriminating evidence against John Reid to be made public, no such evidence had emerged at the time of this article’s publication. A request for comment made to Spirit of Virginia by RedState has gone unanswered.
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All eyes are now on Winsome Sears and Jason Miyares. Youngkin has canceled an event that was to take place this Wednesday alongside the three nominees, and neither Sears nor Miyares has commented on the growing controversy.
Mark Peake, newly elected chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV), may have taken some of the heat off of Sears and Miyares when he told an audience in Northern Virginia on Monday that the RPV would be supporting the entire statewide ticket. And Matthew Hurtt, chairman of the Arlington County GOP, told RedState that various party factions that are typically at odds with each other have now united behind Reid:
“Grassroots Republicans are unified around our statewide ticket — Winsome Earle-Sears, John Reid, and Jason Miyares. The time to squabble about nominees was before the field was set. It’s time to build out the political infrastructure for our statewide ticket and make the case to voters.”
Notably, former Republican Governor and U.S. Senator George Allen reaffirmed his support for Reid on Tuesday, saying, “He’s our nominee, and I’m going to support the whole ticket.” Another former governor, Republican Jim Gilmore, endorsed Reid back in February when the now-nominee Reid was still in a primary battle against Pat Herrity.
