After Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called on John Reid — the Republican nominee for the state’s lieutenant governor’s race — to step aside, he vowed he would “not back down.”
The Richmonder first reported Youngkin’s request, which followed allegations that a social media account with the same name that Reid uses shared pornographic content.
Reid, a radio host from the Richmond area, became the de facto Republican nominee after Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity ended his bid due to health concerns.
WTOP spoke with two local experts on how the request and Reid’s response could impact the future of the lieutenant governor race.
Brandon Jarvis, reporter for The Virginia Scope, told WTOP that this was quite a turn of events when it comes to Virginia politics and expectations for the race.
“I never saw this coming,” Jarvis said. “I did see some potential backlash coming for John Reid from the Republican Party, because he is an openly gay man, and there has been some pushback, but overall it seemed like the party was coalescing around him. He’s a popular conservative talk show host in the Richmond area and he holds very conservative views. So, it’s — it shocked me, honestly.”
Jarvis underscored his surprise at the new development, saying he “had not heard any rumors about this.”
Mark Rozell, who serves as the dean of George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, said it was an unexpected change in the race.
“This shakes things up for sure and the fact that the incumbent governor himself is calling on the candidate to step down is extremely serious,” Rozell said. “I cannot imagine that Glenn Youngkin would do that just based on a simple rumor.”
Rozell said if Reid isn’t going to step down, he needs to step up and clarify the situation.
“He’s entitled to have his say and present his evidence — whatever that may be — to set the record straight, if indeed this is not accurate,” Rozell said. “But what is really striking to me is that the governor himself stepped forward to call on the candidate to step down.”
When it comes to what’s next, experts say it’s kind of unclear.
“If he does end up dropping out, it will be up to the State Central Committee to put forth a new nominee,” Jarvis said. “This is all fresh to everyone, so everyone’s kind of reeling, and we’re waiting to see what the leaders of the party say.”
Jarvis added that it’s too late to make any changes without him dropping out of the race.
“It might not matter if John Reid doesn’t step down, they can’t kick him off the ticket. It’s too late for any primary race, for any candidate to file. So at this point, everyone’s just waiting to see what John Reid does in his decision on this.”
Rozell said with Herrity stepping out late and the latest developments surrounding Reid’s candidacy, the Republican Party needs to be thinking about next steps.
“This is real trouble for the Republicans that they don’t have an alternative candidate right now,” Rozell said. “They don’t have a competitive primary … I just think it’s a bit chaotic for the Republicans trying to figure out how they move forward from here.”
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