Virginia GOP lieutenant governor candidate launches a Substack
The Hill was the first outlet to report on the Republican's Substack, which is called The Reid Revolution and will publish on a weekly basis.
Reid is one of the first Republican candidates to launch a Substack. The launch comes as other politicians, including a number of potential presidential candidates, have explored new forms of media like podcasts to reach voters.
In his first post on the platform, which went up early Tuesday morning, Reid noted that his Substack is not a campaign newsletter.
'It's a direct line from me to you that is unfiltered by media spin, untethered from political talking points, and free from the gatekeepers who've told candidates like me to stay in our lane, water it down, or wait our turn,' Reid wrote. 'I'm not interested in playing by their rules.'
In a second post obtained by The Hill, which is slated to be published on Reid's Substack later on Tuesday, Reid compares his policies to his opponent state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger.
'Ghazala Hashmi and Abigail Spanberger support a vision where the government always knows best. I don't. I trust families,' Reid writes. 'This campaign isn't just about childcare or safety or schools. It's about freedom. It's about who makes the decisions: you, or them.'
The Republican candidate previously hosted a talk show on WRVA for eight years.
Reid found himself in the center of a political firestorm in April after Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R ) called for Reid, who is openly gay, to suspend his campaign after a report that Republican researchers came across sexually explicit photos on Tumblr posted by an account with the same username Reid uses on other sites. Reid has adamantly denied the allegations and went as far as to accuse Youngkin's team of extortion. Reid, who is openly gay, has also said the reason he is being targeted is because of his sexuality.
A lawyer representing Reid sent a cease and desist letter to Matt Moran, then the executive director of Youngkin's Spirit of Virginia PAC, who later stepped down from his post.
Virginia Republicans were quick to come to Reid's defense in the face of the controversy, calling Youngkin's move 'an unforced error' and laying blame on the Spirit of Virginia PAC.
Last month, Youngkin acknowledged Reid as the party's lieutenant gubernatorial nominee, telling reporters, 'He has clearly made up his mind that he's going to stay in.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
15 minutes ago
- NBC News
Democratic governors search for a balance between fighting and working with Trump
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Linda McMahon and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have largely been skewered by Democrats for the way they have run President Donald Trump's Education and Health departments. But over the weekend at a bipartisan summit of governors in Colorado Springs, they received a distinctly warm welcome — including from the Democrats on hand. Instead of pressing McMahon on her plans to eliminate the Education Department, a move that will substantially affect state budgets, Democrats who attended the National Governors Association meeting in the mountain foothills of Colorado offered praise to McMahon during a Friday session over the Trump administration's decision to release billions in education funding it had withheld. And they peppered her with questions about students' mental health, early childhood education and artificial intelligence — areas where they might be able to find common ground. On Saturday, Kennedy, whose stances on vaccines have drawn fierce criticism, held court with a group of Democratic governors, assuring them that he did not want to see budget cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services. These conciliatory moments, which occurred throughout the NGA's summer meeting, underscored the bind Democrats have found themselves in during Trump's second term: weighing when to fight back against the administration, as the base is pushing for, and when to work with it to benefit their constituents. It's a balancing act that's particularly acute at the state level. While Democrats are out of power in Washington, the party's governors have much more authority. And governors in particular have prided themselves on searching for common ground, even in a heated political environment — a core purpose of the NGA. Still, a growing number of Democrats argue that calls for bipartisanship do not meet the current moment. Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Laura Kelly of Kansas were among several Democrats who did not attend the summit. All told, seven Democratic governors and 11 Republican governors came for at least part of the weekend, the NGA said, while three governors attended virtually. Walz and Kelly, as The Atlantic first reported, declined to renew their NGA membership dues for the upcoming fiscal year, due to broader frustrations with how the group has approached the Trump administration. A source familiar with the governors' thinking said that Walz's and Kelly's feelings were 'a view held by more than just these two governors' and were a product of 'frustration' that the NGA 'had tied its own hands' by not taking a more active role in advocating for states and governors amid Trump's attacks. 'If we can't agree on standing up for states' rights, we're passively endorsing what the president is doing,' the source said. During his second term, Trump has defied or threatened many Democratic-led states. Trump deployed National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles amid unrest over his immigration policies, despite objections from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Trump also froze federal funds for a child nutrition program in Maine after he clashed with Gov. Janet Mills over an issue related to transgender athletes. (The Trump administration later halted the freeze.) Newsom and Mills also did not attend the summit. 'We can't just walk away' Several Democratic governors who attended the weekend meeting expressed sympathy for Walz's and Kelly's decision. They also highlighted the importance of finding common ground with their political adversaries, suggesting that it remained a better option to try to win influence with them instead of not showing up. 'The promise that I made to the people of Maryland when the Trump administration came on board was that I will work with anyone, but I will bow down to no one,' Maryland's Democratic Gov. Wes Moore said during a session with reporters at the summit in response to a question from NBC News. 'But there's a clear understanding and a clear desire to be able to work with anybody to make sure that the people of my state and the people for all of our states are getting the support that they need. And I think one of the benefits of this weekend was, you know, we got a chance to sit down with Secretary Kennedy, that we got a chance to actually sit down with Secretary McMahon,' added Moore, who was elected vice char of the NGA over the weekend. He noted that previously he had not had the chance to do so in the first seven months of Trump's second term. 'I actually think it was a real benefit,' Moore said. Moore is no stranger to fighting with the administration: Most recently, he has accused Trump of denying his state federal disaster assistance for flooding in Maryland in May. Moore said he'd spoken with Walz and Kelly, calling their frustrations 'justified.' But he added that the NGA 'is never going to be either the cheerleader nor the heckler of a federal administration.' Hawaii's Democratic Gov. Josh Green, a physician who has blamed Kennedy for measles outbreaks, said he had a 'valuable' private meeting with the health secretary that lasted an hour. 'I have some deep ideological differences with Secretary Kennedy,' Green said in an interview with NBC News. But he added that creating a collaborative environment with Kennedy and McMahon helped him explain to them why he felt 'things have to happen to protect vulnerable people.' Green said that he and Kennedy discussed how governors could most effectively access the $50 billion rural hospital fund that was included in the massive tax cut and spending bill Trump recently signed into law. 'We can't just walk away, in my opinion,' Green said. 'Even though I'll keep pushing back on any changes to the vaccine schedule … I will also be able to take some advantage of the relationships.' Green also said he had 'deep disagreements' with McMahon, but that he felt it remained important to maintain a dialogue. 'Do I have concerns about working with the secretary of education?' Green said. 'Of course I do, but I would have deeper concerns if there was no one that could speak up for what I feel is about half of the country.' Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat whose term as NGA chair ended this weekend, said he invited Kennedy and McMahon in particular because governors had expressed to him that health care and education were two of the top issues they wanted to address during the event. 'I think these times call for the kind of bipartisan work of the NGA more than ever before. The American people want progress,' Polis said. 'And that only comes when the politicians stop fighting over their party labels and work together to achieve real outcomes that actually matter in people's lives.' Disagreements remain Democratic governors still made their disagreements with Republicans clear at the summit. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was among several Democratic governors to lambast the 'big, beautiful bill' and its cuts to Medicaid and food assistance. And a cadre of Democratic governors slammed Texas Republicans' plans to redraw its congressional maps ahead of schedule in an effort to help the GOP protect its narrow House majority in next year's midterm elections. In an emailed statement in response to questions from NBC News, NGA spokesperson Eric Wohlschlegel said that 'the record participation and support of NGA isn't because governors avoid tough topics; it's because NGA is one of the few places where they can cut through the noise and collectively focus on what works.' 'It's critical in a political climate where so many issues become zero-sum fights, NGA provides something increasingly rare: a forum for real, results-driven, bipartisan problem-solving. That's why governors keep showing up,' Wohlschlegel added. Green, Hawaii's governor, said that approach paid off — even though 'sometimes it gives me heartburn.'
New York Times
15 minutes ago
- New York Times
America Needs to Take Better Care of Its Military
For 12 days in June, the United States teetered on the edge of yet another war in the Middle East. We seem to have avoided the worst for now, but there is a chance that fighting between Israel and Iran could resume — especially if diplomatic efforts to restrain Iran's nuclear ambitions fail. And pressure on President Trump from prominent interventionist Republican policymakers remains to support a regime change operation against Iran, which also risks reigniting the conflict. At the same time, the threat of war with China looms large. China continues to rapidly expand its Navy and build capabilities that would enable it to seize Taiwan if it so chooses. We are now less than 18 months away from 2027, the year that Admiral Phil Davidson, a former commander of the military Indo-Pacific Command, once said China could be able to seize Taiwan through force. A war with nuclear-armed China would be several orders of magnitude more dangerous than a war with Iran. Regardless, the United States still must be prepared to wage a major conflict. And while there is no doubt that the U.S. military remains the most powerful and capable fighting force in the world, it is suffering from systemic challenges in a critical component of warfighting success: personnel readiness. Even on the modern high-tech battlefield, war is still a people business. For the Department of Defense, this means it must care for its people along with developing its weapons in order to maintain lethality while also creating an environment that incentivizes Americans to continue to serve. When service members and their families cannot rely on the programs that are intended to ensure their quality of life, it distracts them from their duties, which inevitably limits their effectiveness in combat. A critical challenge the second Trump administration inherited is the state of the Military Health System. The system is responsible for caring for over nine million uniformed service members, military families, retirees and contractors around the world, while also providing care for wounded service members at home. But the system has been declining, and budgets for military hospitals have fallen by nearly 12 percent since 2015. As a result, its ability to provide adequate care to these groups and support the Defense Department in a major military conflict has become severely compromised. Military treatment facilities currently face a global maintenance backlog exceeding $10 billion, which has led many M.H.S. hospitals to fall into disrepair. The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside of Washington, D.C., which routinely treats presidents and members of Congress, had to evacuate several clinics earlier this year, owing to burst pipes that resulted from delayed maintenance. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Thune's pre-recess game plan
IN TODAY'S EDITION:— Thune's 'minibus' dream for this week— Grassley's willing to cancel August recess— GOP blames Hamas as conditions in Gaza worsen Senators are racing the clock to make a dent in both the government funding process and President Donald Trump's backlog of nominees before heading home for August recess. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is hoping to get the first appropriations package through the chamber by the end of this week, with lawmakers on the hook for landing a deal to avoid a shutdown come Sept. 30. To that end, GOP leaders are negotiating with members of their conference over a 'minibus' of three bills that would, collectively, fund the departments of Commerce, Justice, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, as well as key military construction projects and the FDA. Sen. John Kennedy's opposition to including legislation that would fund congressional operations will likely force leadership to postpone debating a fourth bill at this time. The pending package will require senators to run out two, 30-hour debate clocks; the ability to move faster will require buy-in from all 100 senators. It will also take time for lawmakers of both parties to agree on amendments and then hold votes, and Democrats are still deliberating their strategy, a person granted anonymity to share private negotiations tells Jordain. Republican leadership still believes it can pass the mini-bus before leaving town, according to a second person granted anonymity. But one potential fallback option, according to two people granted anonymity, could be for the Senate to schedule a final passage vote before they leave town for the first week back in September. Senate Republicans are also under pressure from Trump to confirm more of his nominees before heading home for recess. Thune has warned his members to prepare to vote at least through this weekend after the president urged senators to stay in Washington through August to wrap up the work, though many lawmakers aren't pleased with that idea. They're eager, instead, to get back to their home states, especially as they look to counter Democratic messaging against the freshly-passed GOP megabill. Other Senate Republicans say they're ready to give Trump what he's after. Over the weekend, Sen. Mike Lee repeatedly urged his colleagues to either work through August to advance nominations or cancel all pro-forma sessions over the next month to allow Trump to make recess appointments. 'The Senate can't have it both ways,' Lee said in a post on X. Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley also said he's on board with the president's call for the Senate to stick around to vote on nominations through August, writing on X, 'Trump needs his administration in place.' Republicans have typically been unenthused by the idea of recess appointments, though, and it's unlikely they'd go along with that plan. And while Thune is threatening to keep the Senate in session deeper into August, many lawmakers view it as just that: a threat to get Democrats to cut a deals on nominations to get out of town. 'I think it's fair to say that we're going keep the pressure on the Democrats to, you know, stay here until either they cooperate or we're just going to grind it out and do it the old fashioned way,' Thune told Jordain. GOOD MONDAY MORNING. Email us at mmccarthy@ jcarney@ crazor@ and bguggenheim@ Follow our live coverage at WHAT WE'RE WATCHINGWith help from Jordan Williams The House will meet for a pro forma session at 2 p.m. The Senate is in session and will vote to move forward with David Wright's nomination to be a Nuclear Regulatory Commission member at 5:30 p.m. Lawmakers will vote to confirm Wright and move forward with Earl Matthews' nomination to be DOD general counsel at 8 p.m. — Senate Agriculture will consider the nominations of Brian Quintenz to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Michael Boren to be under secretary of agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment at 5:30 p.m. The rest of the week: The Senate will continue marking up government funding bills and confirming the president's nominations. Pro subscribers receive this newsletter with a full congressional schedule and can browse our comprehensive calendar of markups, hearings and other notable events around Washington. Sign up for a demo. THE LEADERSHIP SUITE Johnson pans bipartisan push for a vote to release Epstein files Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday criticized an ongoing effort from Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna that would force a House floor vote to compel the release of more files related to the charges against the deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The bipartisan duo's proposal is 'reckless,' Johnson said on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' arguing it would force the DOJ and FBI to release information 'that was not even credible enough to be entered into the court proceedings.' He also said it wouldn't do enough to protect Epstein's victims. 'These are minors in many cases who were subjected to unspeakable crimes, abject evil,' Johnson said. 'They've already suffered great harm. We do not need their names being unmasked. The Massie and the Khanna [bill] ... does not have adequate protections.' Asked whether Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell would be deserving of a pardon — something Trump has yet to rule out — Johnson said: 'I think 20 years was a pittance. I think she should have a life sentence at least ... I have great pause about that as any reasonable person would.' Johnson last week suggested the House Oversight effort to subpoena testimony from Maxwell might be a waste of time since she could not be counted upon to serve as a 'credible witness.' Massie and Khanna, in a separate, joint interview on the same program Sunday, rejected the argument that their bill would put Epstein and Maxwell's victims at risk. 'That's a straw man,' Massie said. 'Ro and I carefully crafted this legislation so that the victims' names will be redacted and that no child pornography will be released. So [leadership is] hiding behind that. But we're trying to get justice for the victims.' Khanna argued that many of the victims 'do want these files released for closure and for healing.' The two lawmakers predict they will easily collect the 218 signatures required to circumvent leadership and force a floor vote on the matter upon the House's return from recess in September. Republicans blame Hamas as starvation conditions in Gaza worsen As the U.S. pulls out of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, GOP leaders say Hamas' inability to cooperate is damaging any hopes of progress in the region. Last week, a U.N. World Food Programme official said about a quarter of the population in Gaza is facing famine-like conditions. Yet as global condemnation sharpens against the Israeli military's limit on aid routes, Trump and Republican leaders continue to insist Hamas is to blame for the fact that civilians, including children, are dying of hunger. 'People are stealing the food, they're stealing the money,' Trump told reporters Sunday. 'They're stealing weapons. That whole place is a mess… the Gaza Strip.' Johnson echoed those talking points on NBC: 'Israel, since this war began, has supplied over 94,000 truckloads full of food,' he said Sunday. 'But Hamas has stolen the food, a huge amount.' (The New York Times reported Saturday that the Israeli military has not found proof that Hamas has systematically stolen aid from the U.N.) The Israeli military on Sunday paused fighting in various population centers across Gaza to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid. Airdrops of aid have resumed. Still, some congressional Democratic leaders who have typically been mindful not to appear unsupportive of a longtime U.S. ally are sending dire warnings to Israel about the starvation crisis — and telling Trump his administration needs to take urgent action. 'The starvation and death of Palestinian children and civilians in an ongoing war zone is unacceptable,' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement late Friday. 'The Trump administration has the ability to bring an end to this humanitarian crisis. ... It is imperative that humanitarian aid be surged into Gaza immediately, the remaining Israeli hostages be released and the ceasefire negotiated by the Biden administration restored.' POLICY RUNDOWN SMITH ENDORSES ROLLBACK OF GAMBLING DEDUCTION CHANGES — House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith said Friday he supports reversing a new policy that got shoehorned into the GOP megabill that will curtail tax deductions for gambling losses. 'The version of the one big, beautiful bill that passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee did not make any changes to the tax treatment of gambling losses,' Smith said at a field hearing in Las Vegas, the tax-writing panel's first stop in a recess campaign to sell the sweeping domestic policy package. The provision, which has caused an uproar in the gambling community, will reduce the amount of gambling losses that taxpayers can deduct — from 100 percent to 90 percent — beginning in 2026. It would effectively mean that an individual could still owe taxes on their gambling activities even if they break even. Smith blamed Senate Republicans for inserting the provision, adding that 'many members on both sides of the aisle are open to working to address it before it goes into effect on January 1.' Rep. Dina Titus, who has introduced legislation in the House that would reverse the policy change, made a guest appearance at the committee event in her home state and thanked Smith for his support. She noted that Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, along with the Resorts Association and the American Gambling Association, all came out in support of reversing the new tax rules. RSC LAUNCHES TASK FORCE FOR SECOND MEGABILL — Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger on Friday announced the creation of the 'RSC Reconciliation 2.0 Working Group,' which will focus on crafting a policy framework for the next legislative package Republicans want to pass through the party-line budget reconciliation process. Pfluger touted the conservative coalition's role in driving down the deficit impact of the final version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. GOP leaders and committee chairs in both chambers have indicated over the past month there is ample opportunity to legislate further in the arenas of tax, trade and particularly health care. But it's not yet clear what the broader political appetite will be to pursue a second partisan package after the intraparty strains the process put on Republicans the first time around this year. JIM JORDAN IN EUROPE — House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan will meet with the European Commission's executive vice president for tech policy, Henna Virkkunen, today after leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to London and Brussels over the weekend, Anthony Adragna reports. That sit-down will come as Jordan has used his gavel to condemn European tech laws, which he has accused of censorship against American social media companies. He's also expected to tout a Judiciary committee staff report that was released this past Friday, which knocks the European Union's Digital Services Act as a 'foreign censorship threat' and alleges that 'overzealous European bureaucrats' are being 'empowered' to 'impose global censorship standards,' including on the U.S. BIPARTISAN SCRUTINY ON USDA SHAKEUP — Democrats and Republicans on Senate Agriculture have serious questions about the USDA's recent shakeup that would shift most of its Washington-area staff among five regional hubs around the country. The top committee Democrat, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, called the relocation plan 'half-baked,' while Chair John Boozman expressed disappointment he wasn't consulted on the plan. Bipartisan scrutiny of the proposed agency reorganization will come to a head during a committee hearing Wednesday, where lawmakers will hear from Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: CAMPAIGN STOP THE GOP'S MASTRIANO PROBLEM — Trump's advisers privately fear far-right firebrand Doug Mastriano could make Republicans lose the Pennsylvania governor's seat and drag down the GOP ticket in the midterms if he wins the nomination, Holly Otterbein reports. Republicans blame Mastriano for costing the party a Senate contest, multiple House seats and a state legislative chamber in 2022 when he lost the gubernatorial race by 15 points. Trump initially endorsed him in the primary at that time but came to regret the decision as Mastriano raised little money and aired almost no TV ads. Now, as he teases a comeback bid against Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, people close to Trump's political operation tell Holly the president's team thinks Mastriano 'could jeopardize multiple down-ballot congressional races.' NORMAN MAKES IT OFFICIAL — Rep. Ralph Norman is entering the race for South Carolina governor, setting up a competitive Republican primary in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Henry McMaster, Jacob Wendler reports. Norman, a House Freedom Caucus stalwart who has represented South Carolina's 5th District since 2017, has already changed his X handle to 'Ralph Norman for Governor' and launched his campaign website. He's poised to primary Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson, the son of S.C. GOP Rep. Joe Wilson. Rep. Nancy Mace has previously said she is 'seriously considering' entering the race as well. COOPER MAKES IT (SORT OF) OFFICIAL — Former Gov. Roy Cooper seemingly announced his bid for Senate in North Carolina this past weekend at a Democratic state party dinner. 'Everybody who is planning to run for office next year, please stand up!' Cooper told the crowd on Saturday night — then added, to enthusiastic cheers from the audience, 'Hey, I'm not sitting down. Am I?' Democrats, who see North Carolina as one of the party's best opportunities in an otherwise challenging Senate midterm map, have been eagerly awaiting Cooper's decision about whether to run for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis. Trump has endorsed RNC chair Michael Whatley on the Republican side. THE BEST OF THE REST Democrats Get More Vocal About 'Horrors Upon Horrors' in Gaza, from Brett Bachman at NOTUS Democratic candidates are posting weightlifting videos in search of a midterm lift, from David Wright at CNN JOB BOARD Joel Valdez is now acting deputy press secretary for the Pentagon. He most recently was comms director and senior adviser for Rep. Lauren Boebert and previously worked for former Rep. Matt Gaetz. Devyn Shea is now press secretary for Sen. Dan Sullivan. He most recently was press secretary for Del. Kimberlyn King-Hinds. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rep. Gabe Evans … former Rep. Liz Cheney … former Sen. Bill Bradley … NBC's Courtney Kube … Mark Meadows … Richard Haass … Kathy Dedrick (5-0) … Josh Bell of Rep. Ron Estes' office … Abigail Kane … Patrick Boland … Tanya Snyder … Stacy McBride of HB Strategies … Michael Herald of Sen. Todd Young's office TRIVIA FRIDAY'S ANSWER: Dale Marsico correctly answered that George Washington did not visit Rhode Island during a congressional recess in 1789 because the state had not ratified the constitution yet. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Dale: What occupation did Franklin Delano Roosevelt claim when he voted, even while serving as president? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@
