On John Reid’s first campaign stop since Gov. Glenn Youngkin called for him to step out of the lieutenant governor’s race over nude photos on a disputed social media site, the Republican candidate said he is “doubling down” on running and won applause from a crowd in Abingdon.
“I figure if I can’t fight for myself publicly, loudly and boldly, how are you ever going to believe that I will fight for you? So that’s my plan going forward,” he said. “People are really mad at me. I had phone calls all the way out here to tell me that. But the vast majority of people, I think, know we’re in a fight for the survival of Virginia and you will not find anybody who has stood up for conservative principles, I would assert, more than me.”
His remarks were met with applause from the about two dozen present at the Washington County Republican Party’s “Meet the Candidates” event in Abingdon on Saturday. Those present included candidates for the local board of supervisors and school board who are also vying for votes in the November 2025 general election.
Once introduced, Reid quickly addressed “the elephant in the room,” quipping about the Republican mascot and the current rift in the party.
“Some of you probably saw the headlines this morning. Boy, it’s been a rough 24 hours for me. Interesting week, but a rough 24 hours,” he said.
He explained that Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity, “who’s been a gentleman the entire time,” was forced by ill health to drop out of the race.
“And so when he dropped out on Monday, that made me the nominee for lieutenant governor. Not the way I would have chosen it, because I’m competitive, I would have liked to win with a back and forth,” he said.
On the afternoon before the event, The Richmonder, a nonprofit news site, reported that “GOP researchers found sexually explicit posts online that they believe are connected to Reid.”
In response to that discovery, Youngkin reportedly asked Reid to resign his candidacy.
“And then yesterday, these allegations came out about me,” said Reid, the first openly gay candidate nominated for statewide office in Virginia. “And, you know, it’s the gay slurs and gay smears, trash like that which I will tell you, I was prepared for because several people had told me, ‘We’re going to ruin your life if you stay in this race.’ Now, I don’t like that and I think some people would have backed away and said, ‘Oh my God, what are you going to do to me?’ That just makes me more emphatic that I’ve got to stay in the race.
“And I’ll tell you, Governor Youngkin, who I’ve always supported, I was disappointed with him yesterday. He called and told me, ‘You’ve got to step aside based on these allegations of nasty pictures and everything on the Internet. I was like, ‘Governor, can you give me a break here? Let me see what this is.’ And he was not interested in the conversation. I don’t like that. I don’t appreciate that. I still support the governor as governor. I’m glad he’s our Republican governor,” Reid said.
In a video statement posted to X on Friday evening, Reid said someone created a fake account on Tumblr using his standard online handle and posted pictures of “porn models.” Reid called this “a total fabricated internet lie so basic a middle schooler could have constructed it.”
On Saturday, Cardinal News reported that the Wayback Machine, an internet archive, shows the Tumblr account existed as far back as 2014, meaning someone would have needed to clone the account before Reid lived in Virginia and entered the political arena. The Tumblr account was deleted Friday afternoon, shortly after The Richmonder story was published.
In an interview following the meeting, Reid acknowledged reading the Cardinal News column and directly denied any involvement in the Tumblr site.
He said “we’re trying to figure out” who posted the site and that he had only seen the website briefly before it disappeared. “So I don’t know exactly what the timeline is. I do know that it has nothing to do with me.”
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, is not on the 2025 ballot but spoke in support of the Republican slate of candidates, including Reid.
“I have this policy of always supporting the nominee. Unless I know something criminal that’s going on that has not yet been brought to light or been brought to justice, I will always support our nominee. It’s a basic philosophy of mine,” Griffith said.
“I am honored to be one of the standard bearers for our party. Morgan Griffith did not get here on his own. It was hundreds and thousands of volunteers across the Ninth District, members of the General Assembly. Your father, Jack,” Griffith said with a nod to Reid whose late father, Del. John “Jack” Reid, represented Henrico County for nine terms. “They gave me the great honor and privilege of having those titles as a Republican standard bearer. And as a result, I’ve had a long-standing policy. I support our nominee, and I encourage everyone in this party who understands that when we go into battle.” 
Reid was the only state candidate present at the event, although Republican gubernatorial candidate and current Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears was expected until about an hour before the event when organizers received the call that she would not be attending due to unsafe weather conditions for her flight. In Abingdon, skies were partly cloudy and breezy, but there were thunderstorms in the eastern part of the state.
“I don’t know where she was coming from. This looks okay to me, right? I don’t know how they track that,” Reid said in a conversation in the parking lot after the meeting.
The Earle-Sears campaign did not respond to an inquiry about her cancellation.
When asked if Earle-Sears had reached out to offer her support to his candidacy, Reid replied that he had not yet spoken with her but there are plans to talk next week.
After the meeting, several members of the Washington County Republicans approached Reid and offered their support of the candidate.
“Mr. Youngkin came here in October for the last time before he was elected and he came back after the election and thanked us,” said Angela Rudd. “And I mean, we worked hard. We need a big turnout here in Southwest Virginia. And that’s what I told John Reid. If he wants this. he’s going to have to come down here and reassure people in Southwest Virginia that he’s right for us. Because, you know, people in Richmond don’t even know we have toilets and a kitchen.”
Rudd’s husband, Mike, a co-chair of the party, said he thought “Reid did a great job speaking and was very sincere.” He was disappointed that Earle-Sears had missed the event.
“It hurts,” Mike Rudd said. “Southwest Virginia people are different. They take it to heart if you don’t come here.”
“I think they need to understand Southwest Virginia can put them in office, but they need to let the people know that they know we’re down here and listen to us,” said Washington County Supervisor C. Wayne Stevens.
Regarding the controversy surrounding Reid, Stevens said he wasn’t bothered by it: “When the wind blows you are going to get dust in your eyes, but when it calms down, you can see clear again.”
For more on who’s running in the 2025 elections, see our Voter Guide.
