The Republican nominee to be Virginia’s next Lieutenant Governor is under fire for supposedly posting sexually graphic photos on a social media account years ago. But he says it is all a political hatchet job.
As The Washington Post reported, conservative talk radio host and businessman John Reid is under severe pressure to quit the race after a graphic Tumblr account allegedly under Reid’s name surfaced. It shows photos ranging from male genitalia to images similar to a racy underwear advertisement.
According to the Post, the account also re-posted a photo of a man facing a camera wearing only a baseball cap as recently as March 2024. Reid has said he has seen such pornographic material but denied posting the photos.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is now calling for Reid, who secured the GOP nomination on April 21, to step down so the GOP can nominate a new candidate.
“The Governor was made aware late Thursday of the disturbing online content,” Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC said in a written statement Friday, which was obtained by the Post. “Friday morning, in a call with Mr. Reid, the Governor asked him to step down as the Lt. Governor nominee.”
Reid, though, is refusing to quit. He responded to these allegations in a fiery video posted on his X account on April 27.
He called for unifying the Republican Party while accusing Youngkin’s political team of orchestrating a smear campaign to get him to drop out of the race.
“Representatives of my team have been told by the leader of Governor Youngkin’s political organization that the attacks on me WILL continue unless I drop out of the race for lieutenant governor,” he said.
“What colossal arrogance and abuse to a loyal fellow Republican, and like it or not, the declared legal nominee of our party,” he continued. “Just like we saw against President Trump over the last eight years.”
Reid went on to claim that he was being blackmailed.
“My representatives were shown THE SAME explicit photographs of other people that I’ve got nothing to do with…And they were told that if I dropped out of the race, they would purchase the opposition research and the lies and threats against me would suddenly stop. This is extortion, and it is illegal in Virginia!”
WATCH:
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 went on to say he has engaged legal counsel to explore all options against those responsible for allegedly blackmailing him.
“They made a big miscalculation if they thought I would bow down to anyone or run away scared,” he added. “I am a conservative Trump supporter and I’m gay and everybody knows it.”
“I’ve not broken ANY law and I am not a hypocrite,” he continued. “I do not pretend that I was a saint before I entered into my current eight-year relationship.”
Reid then made clear he was in the race to the bitter end.
“I am SICKENED about the weeks of veiled accusations and attacks on my family…I’m not going to continue to answer a parade of never-ending questions and false accusations from people we know now are solely motivated to stage a coup against a gay man who they didn’t want to be their nominee but didn’t have the guts to run against,” he said.
“I’m the Republican nominee for Lt. Governor and I’m tougher than any of my detractors and I’m not going ANYWHERE!”
