By Juliette Sohonage
John Reid, the Republican nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor, told Washington and Lee University students that he wants to establish clear lines on public order.
“No more rioting,” he said. “You may not riot in Virginia going forward.”
Reid, a former radio show host on the WRVA Morning Show in Richmond, said he’s built his campaign around restoring public safety and respecting the law across the state.
His visit to campus on Oct. 20 was hosted by College Republicans.
Reid said that he wants to be a leader who makes clear lines when it comes to public order.
He said his safety initiative is rooted in the protests that he witnessed in Richmond in 2020 after George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer.
“The cops were pelted in the face with balloons filled with urine,” he said. “A $250,000 public bus (was) set on fire in the middle of Broad Street near the Capitol.”
Reid said criminals need to be held accountable. “Hammer the hell out of them, and you will send a message,” he said.
He linked the public safety issue to the text message scandal that is plaguing Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate for attorney general. Earlier this month, former Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner revealed text messages from 2022 of Jones wishing death on former House Speaker Todd Gilbert. Jones also said in the texts that he wished Gilbert’s children would “die in their mother’s arms.”
Reid, who is the first openly gay candidate for statewide office in Virginia, said he waited to make a public statement about Jones until the allegations were confirmed because he knew “what it was like to be accused and abused based on lies.”
In April, a Tumblr account under the name of John Reid posted sexually explicit photos of men. Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked Reid to drop out of the lieutenant governor’s race. Reid said the account wasn’t his—and he refused to quit the race.
“Jay Jones admitted it was true,” Reid said. “If wishing death on your political opponent isn’t a reason to disqualify someone, tell me what would be?”
He said he disagrees with the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Winsome Earle-Sears, on the issue of gay marriage. She has said that “morally opposes” same-sex marriage.
Education is another big issue for Reid. He said he supports smaller class sizes so teachers can interact directly with each student.
He insisted that he could work with the Trump administration to benefit Virginia.
“I’m probably more likely to be able to get through to him and to his team to influence things positively for Virginia,” he said.
Reid’s opponent, Ghazala Hashmi, has over $3 million in cash on hand in the final days before the election. Reid has just under $400,000, according to the Virginia Public Access Project Campaign Finance website.
“One of the great things about this campaign, nobody’s giving me money,” he said. “If I win, I don’t owe anybody a damn thing.”