Virginia Republicans are splintering over GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s name for the occasion’s lieutenant-governor nominee to step apart — after the hopeful was accused of posting homosexual porn on Tumblr.
Youngkin requested embattled candidate John Reid, a radio host within the Richmond space, to withdraw because the nominee upon studying of the photographs of bare males posted on an account utilizing Reid’s Instagram deal with final month.
Reid has denied the account is his and refused to step apart — leaving occasion devoted scrambling to unify about six months out from the state’s bellwether 2025 off-year election.
“That’s not my account,” Reid insisted after the scandal was unearthed by the Richmonder. “Anybody on the Web can open accounts with the identical or comparable names as different individuals.
“I’m not going anyplace.”
Allies of Reid have accused Youngkin and his allies of concentrating on the candidate due to his sexuality. Reid is Virginia’s first brazenly homosexual statewide nominee.
However Youngkin has deemed the gay-porn scandal a “distraction” that can possible damage the occasion if allowed to proceed.
“One of many explanation why I referred to as John final Friday morning was as a result of these sorts of conditions, the place there’s only a historic recognition that social media and specific, specific social media content material like it is a distraction,” Youngkin advised reporters final week.
“It’s a distraction for campaigns, and it’s a distraction from individuals taking note of crucial points, and right here we’re right this moment speaking about fentanyl and saving lives, and the distraction is current,” he mentioned. “He and I had a really critical private dialog.”
A number of key Republicans within the state shortly hit again on the governor for being so fast to activate Reid.
If that is how the Governor’s political operation needs to shut out his time period in Richmond — by tossing a grenade into the statewide Republican ticket — it’s really a disgrace,” Arlington GOP Chair Matthew Harm mentioned in an e mail blast.
Virginia gubernatorial wannabe and present Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, kept away from calling on Reid to step apart.
“John Reid is the Republican nominee for Lt. Governor. It’s his race and his determination alone to maneuver ahead,” she mentioned in a press release. “All of us have our personal race to run.”
Earle-Sears is locked in a really powerful gubernatorial race towards former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Dems’ choose within the state race. Youngkin can’t run for re-election this time round, as Virginia governors can’t serve two consecutive phrases.
After days of controversy, Youngkin started placing a extra conciliatory tone towards Reid and pressured that it could in the end be the nominee’s determination about whether or not to remain within the race.
“We’ve acquired to get on with profitable. That is John Reid’s determination. He’s the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor,” Youngkin advised reporters late final week. “He has clearly made up his thoughts that he’s going to remain in.
“I feel the controversy can cease there, ’trigger that’s the reply. I’ve mentioned that I’ll help the nominees and their ticket.”
Matt Moran, who has been a longtime high staffer for Youngkin and helmed the Spirit of Virginia PAC, denied accusations that he had been conspiring to strain Reid out of the race.
“I’ve identified John Reid for years and think about him a good friend,” Moran mentioned on X final week.
“Over the past 9 days, I used to be actively supporting and aiding John because the Lt. Governor nominee of the Republican Occasion. Let me be clear, information matter, and they’ll reveal the accusations towards me are unfounded.”
Youngkin, who beforehand served as co-CEO of monetary powerhouse The Carlyle Group, gained the governor’s workplace in an upset 2021 election. He’s the primary Republican governor to win the highest Virginia workplace since 2009.
That breakthrough has sparked presidential buzz for Youngkin and led to hypothesis that he may very well be a contender within the 2028 elections.
In the meantime, he’s hoping to protect GOP features within the state, which has typically hewed blue prior to now 20 years.
However Republicans are dealing with important headwinds in Virginia heading into the off-year election. The state, alongside New Jersey, is mostly seen as a barometer of the nationwide temper that would foreshadow what’s going to occur within the 2026 midterms.
Nestled subsequent to Washington, DC, Virginia has been disproportionately battered by job cuts the Trump administration has made via the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE).
Virginia is residence to about 145,000 federal employees, not less than a fifth of whom reside simply throughout the Potomac River from DC. To counter this, Youngkin has launched a web site, virginiahasjobs.com, in addition to a useful resource bundle for these unemployed because of the cuts.
The GOP is fearing that voter backlash towards the Trump administration may very well be a boon for Virginia Democrats come November.
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