John Reid, the newly minted Republican nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor, isn’t just making history as the first openly gay man to run for statewide office—he’s doing it while fending off a political firestorm that feels straight out of a House of Cards reboot.
Reid dropped a pair of fiery online videos accusing Governor Glenn Youngkin’s inner circle of trying to force him out of the race with a mix of political pressure and, allegedly, a fake lewd photo scandal. According to Reid, a so-called “religious activist” and two acquaintances confronted him with explicit images they claimed were his—photos he flatly denies owning or sharing, and a Tumblr account he insists was fabricated.
“When I didn’t back down, the pressure ramped up,” Reid said, describing a phone call from Youngkin himself, allegedly suggesting he bow out of the race. The governor’s people, he claims, offered to buy the dirt if he stepped aside. “This is extortion,” Reid declared. “And it is illegal in Virginia.”
Despite the drama, Reid is staying in the ring. “I’m tougher than any of my detractors, and I’m not going anywhere,” he said, making it clear he plans to run his campaign on his own terms.
GOP Drama Gets Messier Than a Drag Brunch
Governor Youngkin isn’t denying the call, but he’s spinning it as concern over distractions—namely, the alleged explicit content. “It’s a distraction from people paying attention to the most important issues,” he claimed at a separate event.
Other Republican leaders are clearly feeling the heat. Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears didn’t defend the governor outright but hinted that the scandal was getting in the way of party unity. “It is his race, and his decision alone to move forward,” she said diplomatically. Meanwhile, a scheduled unity rally featuring all three statewide GOP candidates was abruptly canceled.
But support for Reid isn’t drying up. Matthew Hurtt, chair of the Arlington County GOP, took the pulse of his members—and the response was overwhelmingly pro-Reid. “More than two-thirds said he shouldn’t drop out,” Hurtt noted. “Even more said they’d still vote for him in November.”
The Pink Elephant in the Room
There’s no way around it—Reid’s sexuality is part of the narrative here. Political analyst Bob Holsworth says the optics are brutal for a party already on shaky ground. “Now you have this situation where the governor is largely being seen as an individual who is pushing out a gay man,” he said. “The governor has brought this on the party, and they don’t have an easy way out.”
Let’s be real: the LGBTQ community isn’t new to smear campaigns, fear tactics, or political erasure. But what’s different here is Reid’s refusal to play the victim—or the martyr. He’s fighting back with a voice, a partner of eight years by his side, and a campaign that’s suddenly become about more than just local politics.
If he wins—or even if he stays in the race—Reid could signal a crack in the GOP’s rainbow ceiling. It’s still a conservative party, yes, but Reid is making it clear he won’t let anyone—governor or not—bully him off the ballot.
And in a state like Virginia, where elections can turn on a dime, this scandal isn’t just about one man. It’s about whether queer Republicans can ever find a real place in a party still struggling to reconcile its old playbook with new realities.