Virginia Republicans reel from party infighting over nominee for lieutenant governor

Virginia Republicans are reeling from an intraparty fight over a disputed social media account that has pitted lieutenant governor nominee John Reid against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s political operation, imperiling the party’s chances of holding on to power in this year’s general election.

Virginia Republicans are reeling from an intraparty fight over a disputed social media account that has pitted lieutenant governor nominee John Reid against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s political operation, imperiling the party’s chances of holding on to power in this year’s general election. The controversy comes as Republicans look to buck historic trends that favor the party out of power in Washington to hold on to the top three statewide offices — governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general — and make gains in the House of Delegates, where all 100 seats are up for reelection in November and where Democrats hold a narrow majority. The upcoming election will also test the governor’s political power — despite his 2021 win and continued popularity, the party lost the lower chamber in 2023, derailing Youngkin’s goals of advancing conservative priorities such as restricting abortion rights. At a time when the party should be unifying, it is instead contending with a mess that has highlighted a rift between evangelicals and other conservatives. The disagreement erupted late last month following reports that Youngkin asked Reid — the first out gay statewide nominee in Virginia — to leave the race after GOP researchers discovered a since-deleted Tumblr account with a username Reid has used on other social media sites. The account, which Reid has denied he created, reposted nude and sexually explicit photos of men in posts archived as far back as 2014, according to a CNN review of the website’s archives captured by the Wayback Machine. Reid, in an April 25 video defending himself, called the account “a total fabricated internet lie” and noted that “anyone on the internet can open accounts with the same or similar names as other people.” The candidate refused to drop out and launched a legal campaign against a top political adviser to Youngkin. Republicans, including the state GOP, are pushing the party to rally around the ticket and to focus on Democrats.