Virginia GOP Lt. Gov. Candidate John Reid, Accused Of Running Explicit Gay Tumblr, Says Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Team Is ‘Extorting’ Him

A resurfaced audio recording reveals Matt Moran, the top political strategist for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), pressured Republican John Reid’s campaign team to leave the race for lieutenant governor.

Youngkin is widely viewed as positioning himself for a 2028 presidential run.

The recording, which took place on April 27 and was acquired and reviewed by Virginia Mercury, captures Moran and attorney Tim Anderson during the meeting at the Offices of LINK Public Affairs in Richmond.

Both men can be heard conversing with Reid’s campaign manager, Noah Jennings, and the candidate’s longtime partner, Alonzo Mable. 

The recording revealed Moran saying that Reid’s exit was the only way to stop the release of harmful opposition research.

“If he stays in the race, it is going to continue,” the political strategist mentioned in the recording. “That hurts our candidates up and down the ticket. Him getting out of the race is the only way it stops, and then, yeah, it absolutely would have to stop. Forevermore after that.”

This conversation occurred while Virginia GOP leaders debated how to deal with damaging material linked to Reid, the first openly gay candidate on a statewide ticket in Virginia history.

Jennings verified in a text message that he had been present during the conversation and that the recording is accurate. 

According to an affidavit, Moran released on April 30, the political strategist denied having made his statement, claiming that he had known Reid “for years” and considered him “a friend.”

“We always work well, and I personally was going to vote for him to be the party nominee,” he said. “Over the last nine days, I was actively supporting and assisting John as the nominee of the Republican Party for Lieutenant Governor. Let me be clear, facts matter, and they will demonstrate the accusations against me are unfounded.”

Moran’s lawyer, George Terwilliger, sent a statement defending his client in response to a request to comment on the recording.

In a video posted on X on April 27, Reid stated that Youngkin’s team told his campaign that he would stop being attacked if he “dropped out of the race.”

“This is extortion, and it is illegal in Virginia, and I am more outraged now,” he stated. “I have engaged legal counsel to pursue all options against these people.”

The candidate’s campaign followed up on April 28 with a cease-and-desist letter accusing Moran of defamation. The letter alleges that Moran falsely connected him to an explicit Tumblr account, in which Reid denied having any part. 

“While this account shared a common username with our client’s Instagram, he is not and never has been associated with the account,” the letter from Reid’s lawyer Charles Spies declared.

Terwilliger replied to this letter with one of his own, denying any wrongdoing on Moran’s part.

“We are taking this step for two reasons: first, to support our respectful request that you correct the record by retracting those erroneous allegations; second, the facts in [Moran’s] affidavit should be more than sufficient for you to appreciate that any further unfounded and untoward accusations will certainly be actionable because you know they have no reasonable basis in fact,” the strategist’s lawyer wrote in his letter.

“To be clear, Mr. Moran strongly denies that he has defamed Mr. Reid in any manner whatsoever. The facts, evidence, and witnesses would demonstrate that Mr. Moran never attempted to extort, coerce, or pressure Mr. Reid directly or indirectly, but rather as a seasoned professional endeavored to provide sound advice regarding the viability of Mr. Reid’s candidacy to someone he counted as a friend.”