When Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia discovered that republican research had linked the candidate for the Republican party for Lieutenant Governor with a blog with photos of naked men, he tried to save his group from a shameful situation.
Mr. Youngkin called the candidate, John Reid, a conservative conversation radio host for a long time in Richmond, and told him that he needed to leave his campaign, the website would surely be discovered and that Wolde Tank all the ticket of the game.
“I need you to leave,” said Youngkin, according to two people informed about the call.
Then something curious happened. Mr. Reid did not give up. Instead, he published a five -minute video on social networks pointing out that he is gay and explaining that he had seen pornography and had floods of a night in the past. The republican base in Virginia quickly recovered around him.
He also revealed a surprising fault or political juice of Mr. Youngkin, who has been considered a potential republican presidential candidate since he won the elections as governor in 2021. A former executive of rich private capital, is attributed widely saving Visoria, Horbinia, Hans de Sultoria, Hans de Hansy, Horbinia de Hansyanyya Harginia.
Contretimps occur when Democrats are favored to win the November elections for the governor of Virginia, one of this year’s marquee races. Only once since 1977, Virginia voters elected a governor of the same party as the president.
Virginia Democrats are specifically optimistic this year because Trump is very unpopular in the state, which has given the worst part of the federal government dismissals. Mr. Youngkin, who cannot run again because either the term limits, supports Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears as his republican successor, but she has raised less than half of money than the Democratic candidate, former representative Abigail Spanberger.
The controversy has divided the Republicans of Virginia and further abolled their hopes. When Mr. Youngkin maneuvered to expel Mr. Reid, the base of the Maga Festivities quickly described the governor a puppet of establishment.
“There are five to one,” said John Fredericks, a right -wing radio host who has a syndicated daily program in Virginia. “They want to stay in the race. They think that the establishment is trying to fuck him. Who cares about penises in Tumblr? Nobody cares.”
The problem in Virginia begged at the end of last month when the only opponent of Mr. Reid in the Republican primary contest for Lieutenant Governor left cardiac surgery.
The Leadership Committee of the Republican State, the arm of the party that helps the Foundes for Lieutenant Governor, produced a basic research document on Mr. Reid. It included Tumblr’s blog, which had the same carname he used in other social media sites and has since eliminated his leg. The Washington Post described its content as “ranging from explicit photos of male genitals to typical images of an advertisement of spicy underwear.”
Mr. Reid, whose father served in the Virginia Legislature and once fired a weapon by mistake inside his Capitol Office, denied being the author of Tumblr.
In an extraordinary movement, he published his explanation of five minutes of the situation and promised to remain in the races while standing in front of the portraits of Mr. Youngkin and Mrs. Earle-Sears. He said he had attended Drag shows in Richmond, but called the Tumblr a “false account” and said that the idea that it belonged was “a total and fabriad lie of the Internet.”
“I’ve seen porn? Yes,” he said. “Have I had an standing at night? Are my ex still in love with me?” “
There is no mechanism in the electoral law of Virginia that allows Republicans to force Mr. Reid of the race. Reid, who refused to be interviewed for this article, has remained challenging since the controversy has scrambled the typical Republican alliance.
Mrs. Earle-Sears has maintained her distance from Mr. Reid. A Christian conservative, wrote a hand note last year to declare himself “morally opposite” to the legislation signed by Mr. Youngkin who prohibited Virginia officials from denying a marriage license due to sex, gender or race.
However, others in the right wing of the party have embraced Mr. Reid. The Republican Committee of the Loudoun County is now selling “support for John Reid” for $ 25 that can be used in eight colors.
While Mr. Fredericks said the Republican base thought that Reid was being unjustly treated, he predicted that the Republican ticket would lose if he did not leave.
“We have a tendency to litigate our primaries in Virginia to the general elections,” said John Whitbeck, former president of the Virginia Republican Party. “This is another example of how we shoot at the foot of the party.”
There is no shortage of Republicans who point to the feet of the other.
Mr. Reid’s lawyer sent a cease and withdrawal letter to Mr. Youngkin’s long -time political advisor, who had tried to design the departure of Mr. Reid of the race. The advisor later departed from his position. The two parties have changed accusatory letters, recorded meetings recordings to the Richmond media and new harmful information about Mr. Reid floated.
Mr. Youngkin has tried to declare a kind of truce, and Reid has taken turns of the victory while working as a guest presenter in Mr. Fredericks’s radio program.
“This situation has clearly returned beyond what anyone intended,” said Tim Anderson, a former legislator of the state of Virginia who is helping Mr. Reid’s campaign. “This should never have become a public show, and should have the opportunity to meet privately with interested parties to find a resolution or show their defenses before he was asked to resign.”
Mr. Youngkin, meanwhile, told Richmond journalists last week to stay in the race was “John Reid’s decision” after being if he campaigned with Mr. Reid.
“He has clearly decided to stay,” said Youngkin. “And then he is the republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor. And I think the debate can stop there, because that is the answer.”
Mr. Youngkin rejected an interview application and is now supporting Mr. Reid’s campaign.
“The governor is supporting the republican party ticket,” said Becca Glover, Mr. Youngkin’s spokeswoman. “We are moving forward.”
