This article was reprinted with permission from Virginia Mercury.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s top political adviser, Matt Moran, temporarily stepped aside from his job as the head of the powerful Spirit of Virginia PAC, the PAC’s chief financial officer confirmed late Thursday evening.
Lisa Jennings told The Mercury that Moran, who allegedly advised Youngkin to pressure Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid to leave the race, had informed her on Wednesday that he would leave temporarily. A senior administration official said that Moran decided to step away because the controversy created a distraction for himself and his work for the PAC.
Reid, the first openly gay candidate on a statewide ticket in Virginia, said the governor urged him to quit over explicit photos on a social media account bearing the same name as Reid’s but that Reid emphasized he had no connection to.
Earlier in the day Thursday, two sources familiar with the deliberations had said Moran resigned, as reported by Politico. Moran, after multiple requests for comment on the matter, has still not clarified his position.
The shift marks a dramatic fallout in a political storm that has rattled Virginia Republicans, exposed deep internal divisions, and fueled charges of political backstabbing just months before the November elections.
Moran, 36, had remained silent until Wednesday evening when, less than two hours before Reid took the stage alone at a Henrico County GOP rally where Youngkin canceled his appearance, he denied accusations that he tried to bully Reid out of the race.
“Let me be clear, facts matter, and they will demonstrate the accusations against me are unfounded,” Moran posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“I’ve known John Reid for years and consider him a friend,” Moran wrote, insisting he had been “actively supporting and assisting John as the Lt. Governor nominee.”
Moran also released a sworn affidavit and a sharply worded legal letter from his attorney, George Terwilliger III, pushing back on Reid’s claims.
The letter argued Reid’s team had been misinformed and warned that continued accusations could bring legal consequences, with Terwilliger writing that Moran “never attempted to extort, coerce, or pressure Mr. Reid” but simply offered “sound advice regarding the viability of Mr. Reid’s candidacy to someone he counted as a friend.”
Despite that, the letter hinted at a possible off-ramp, asking if Reid’s campaign was open to “scheduling a call where we might further discuss the matter.”
On Thursday, before Moran’s decision to step aside became known, an audio recording surfaced that captured an April 27 meeting between Moran and members of Reid’s campaign, where Moran framed Reid’s withdrawal as the only way to stop damaging opposition research from surfacing — a stance Reid later described as bordering on extortion.
The rift burst into public view last Friday, when The Richmonder reported that Youngkin had asked Reid, a conservative radio host and the first openly gay candidate on a statewide ticket, in a phone call to step down over sexually explicit posts shared by a Tumblr account with the same name of Reid’s other social media profiles.
On Sunday, Reid alleged in a video posted online that “representatives of my campaign have been told by the leader of Governor Youngkin’s political organization that the attacks on me will continue unless I drop out.”
While Reid did not initially name Moran, his campaign followed up Monday with a cease-and-desist letter directly accusing Moran of defamation, claiming Moran told reporters Reid was behind the sexually explicit Tumblr account — a charge Reid’s team firmly denies. “While this account shared a common username with our client’s Instagram, he is not and never has been associated with the account,” the letter said.
Moran has spent more than a decade deeply embedded in Virginia politics. He got his start managing the campaign of a rural delegate and working as a legislative aide before climbing the ranks to become spokesman for then-House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, and later chief of staff to Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights.
When Youngkin took office, Moran came on board as director of policy and legislative affairs — notably working without a state salary. Instead, he remained on leave from two consulting firms in which he held ownership stakes — Creative Direct and Link Public Affairs. That arrangement drew criticism from those who argued it posed serious conflicts of interest.
Meanwhile, Reid has vowed to continue his campaign as election season kicks into high gear.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Moran stepped aside from his role as a Spirit of Virginia PAC advisor, as confirmed by the group’s chief financial officer Lisa Jennings Thursday evening.
