John Reed angeredly refused the Virginia governor’s request to withdraw from the competition over allegations that he posted sexually explicit photos online.
Reed, a gay man and conservative talk show host in Richmond, has not been opposed in the federal second-highest office after Republican Fairfax County supervisor Pat Helley dropped out of the race.
Reed is the first openly gay candidate for a major party to seek a statewide office in the federal statewide. He runs alongside current Lieutenant Colonel Wyn Earl Sears, the only Republican seeking governor, and Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is running for reelection.
After the Herrity exit, Republicans appeared confident in their candidate slate, hoping to gain an edge over Democrats who had not selected candidates for lieutenant governor or attorney general by reaching out to voters as a unified slate months before the November election.
Reid, Earle-Sears and Miyares were scheduled to appear at a campaign rally in Glen Allen, Virginia, along with current Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on April 30.
However, Youngkin has soured lead candidates and demanded he leave the race.
According to reports from richmonderthe request for withdrawal came after Republican opposition researchers found sexually explicit posts on Tumblr containing pornographic images. They believe the image is connected to the lead.
richmonder It claims that Reid displayed several images on a Tumblr blog page that had a username that matches one username used on other social media accounts. The sexually explicit image was a repost and did not show Reid’s face.
There are no news outlets that specifically name the Tumblr handle. Reports on this aspect of the story are vague, but probably point to Reid’s private Instagram handle and not his official campaign Instagram account @.Johnreidforva.
The Tumblr page with a handle matching Reid’s private Instagram appears to have been defeated.
It appears that the X account with the same handle has also been deleted, but it is unclear whether the account belonged to Reid.
In a statement richmonderReed denied that the image was connected to him.
“As long as I was in public, I was a target of malicious, mean lies,” he told the newspaper. “This is the second overtly attempt to force me out of the race.”
On Friday evening, Reed posted an a video To deal with the controversy. In it, he claimed to have received late-night calls from “local religious activists” and two others, threatening, “it would destroy my life and I wouldn’t work again across America.”
When he sought evidence, he was shown a photo of him at a drug show in downtown Richmond.
Democratic Trends Blog Blue Virginia I posted a screenshot of a website post from Virginia Christian Alliance expressing my anger over Reid’s candidacy.
See the three photos for these screenshots:
- Reid tilts the drag performer by putting dollar bills in the performer’s clothes.
- A photo of Reed with his partner reading a shirt called “Liberal in the Bedroom.”
- Reid is surrounded by Drag Queens in a scene where VCA claims to be “spiritally offensive” and “open ock ha ha of biblical values.”
“Like I said many times on the radio, and in my speech, drugs aren’t for kids,” he said in the video. “But in reality, what are the adults looking at, what they are doing, what they are doing, what they are doing, what they are doing, what they are doing?
Reid has received multiple requests to drop out of the race, and talk show callers have claimed that “Christian voters” never support his candidacy, and that his presence on the ticket will destroy Republicans’ chances of victory in November, thereby allowing Democrats to win and “destroy” the Commonwealth.
He remains rebellious in the face of “vulgar threats”, “nonstop harassment”, and insults that call him “deprecating regression.” He previously pointed out that he was harassed by the right for being a gay “angry leftist” and calling him an “angry leftist” to the gay community.
“What happened today was my worst fear. The general internet was lying because middle schoolers were able to build it. It’s predictable, but what I didn’t expect was the governor who always supported me to call or demand my resignation without always showing me the evidence that was supposed to be or providing the opportunity to respond,” he said. “I didn’t accept it, and I resented it deeply.”
He demanded that he see the evidence.
“Someone created a social media account under my Instagram name. This is a name I’ve had for many years, but this fake account has reposted nude photos of other people, models and porn models,” he said. “It’s not my account, anyone on the internet can open an account with the same or similar name as anyone else.”
Reid continues. “I’ve been openly gay for 30 years…I met my partner over eight years ago… Are you really expected to answer all the twisted questions about your previous relationship?
He said, “I don’t do it because it’s not my place to judge others. But I have not published porn or have never seen porn. Yes. Founded.”
Metro Weekly We reached out to Reid’s campaign for further comment. There were no responses at the time of reporting.
Check out Reid’s complete video submission below.
Watch and listen with diligence and hear the facts of the matter! Official Statement!!! pic.twitter.com/q5mxsorbz9
– John Reed (@johnreid4va) April 25, 2025
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
