Richmond talk-show host John Reid joins race for Va. lieutenant governor
Reid, who once served as communications chief for Virginia governor George Allen (R), noted the historic nature of his bid while expressing hope that his sexual orientation will be irrelevant to voters.
'I'm not a diversity hire,' he said in a news release. 'I'm the most conservative and proven candidate running, and I've boldly stood up for our beliefs in a way that should make my personal life a total non-issue.'
Reid joins a large field of Republicans and Democrats seeking Virginia's lieutenant governorship, a part-time job that pays $36,321 a year and comes with just two constitutionally mandated duties: presiding over the state Senate and assuming the Executive Mansion if the governor resigns or dies. The post is highly sought after as a launching pad for the governorship.
Two other Republicans are seeking their party's nomination, Navy veteran John Curran and Pat Herrity, the lone GOP member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Five Democrats are doing the same: state Sen. Ghazala F. Hashmi (Chesterfield); Babur B. Lateef, chairman of the Prince William County School Board; state Sen. Aaron R. Rouse (Virginia Beach); former federal prosecutor Victor Salgado; and former Richmond mayor Levar M. Stoney.
The field could grow. State GOP Chairman Rich Anderson has been exploring a potential run. Former Republican congressman Denver Riggleman has been considering an independent bid for lieutenant governor or governor.
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) is not seeking reelection, running instead to succeed term-limited Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). Earle-Sears faces one declared Democratic candidate, former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger.
Reid, 54, is the son of the late delegate Jack Reid, who represented Henrico County for 18 years. The radio host started his career as an intern for President Ronald Reagan's post-White House office. Reid casts himself as a conservative in the mold of Reagan, Allen, his father, and Youngkin, who has not endorsed in the primary.
'I really think that we're teetering on becoming California and Glenn Youngkin, and Winsome Sears and [Attorney General] Jason Miyares have successfully held that back for four years,' he said in an interview with The Washington Post on Saturday. Miyares is seeking reelection to his post.
Reid describes himself as someone who is 'pro-life' but also recognizes the need 'to find compromise' on the issue in a state where abortion rights have broad support. He supports the state's business-friendly right-to-work laws, which prohibit requiring someone to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment. He opposes automatically restoring voting rights to felons after they complete their sentences.
Reid could face a challenge appealing to socially conservative Republicans who have long opposed gay rights. Riggleman, as a freshman congressman from rural central Virginia, lost a GOP nominating convention in 2020 after officiating a same-sex wedding. In 2021, a Republican running for lieutenant governor was targeted for supporting gay rights. Only a few Republicans in the General Assembly voted this year to support an effort to enshrine same-sex marriage rights in the state constitution.
Reid opposes the marriage amendment because it does not contain language saying religious organizations and clergy may refuse to officiate such unions. (Democrats say that language is not needed because churches and clergy already have that right under state law.) Reid said he would rather have the state simply repeal an amendment, adopted in 2006, that bans same-sex marriage. The ban is defunct but could become operative again if the Supreme Court reverses its 2015 ruling legalizing those unions nationwide.
Reid, who has worked for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and with various veterans groups, lays out a conservative list of priorities on his campaign website: promoting learning over 'indoctrination' in K-12 schools, funding public safety, prosecuting 'rioters and looters,' enforcing immigration laws, defending religious liberty, reducing taxes and regulations, and opposing 'divisive wokeness.' Beside a photo of a George Washington equestrian statue outside the state Capitol, he vows to 'advocate for conserving our cultural landmarks.'
While the site makes Reid's sexual orientation clear — referring to his longtime partner, Alonzo — it also stresses that he does not support trans rights.
'John is uniquely positioned to take the fight to the radical progressives head-on as he continues his fight against boys in girls sports and the extreme trans-agenda being forced upon our children,' it says.
'I think the gay rights movement has jumped the shark with the trans issue,' he told The Post. 'If you insist that something is factually true which is not factually true, I must draw the line there, even as a gay man.'
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