Virginia GOP embraced a diverse ticket in this year's elections — then things got complicated

Republicans engaged in scrubbing the federal government of DEI programs are fielding a historically diverse ticket in Virginia in one of the only states holding elections this year.

RICHMOND, Va. — Republicans engaged in scrubbing the federal government of diversity, equity and inclusion programs are fielding a historically diverse ticket in Virginia in one of the only states holding elections this year.

Those two things aren’t inherently incompatible, and some experts say nominating diverse candidates could reinforce the argument that officeholders should be chosen on merit. But in the shadow of Washington, where President Donald Trump’s push to stamp out DEI programs has caused turmoil at colleges, businesses and throughout the federal government, things have gotten complicated.

Conservative stalwart John Reid, a talk-radio host whose father was a Virginia delegate, is the first openly gay man to be a statewide nominee in Virginia. He was sailing toward the general election as the GOP’s choice for lieutenant governor when Republican opposition research linked him to a blog featuring photographs of naked men, first reported by The Richmonder, an online news site.

In late April, days after the ticket solidified, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin called Reid and asked him to drop out after learning about the Tumblr account with a username matching the candidate’s Instagram handle.

Reid said the account was a fabrication and made clear he was staying in the race. Days later, he accused Youngkin’s team of extortion.