John Reid’s campaign may have benefited from Governor Glenn Youngkin telling him to withdraw from the race for lieutenant-governor. The former Richmond radio host is now attracting more attention and a larger audience than ever.

The race for lieutenant-governor is not usually a big deal. It’s a position with far less power and visibility than the governor or attorney general. Most voters do not even know the names of the candidates.

Reid’s gayness is no longer a problem. He was already well-known in Richmond, but he faced a challenge in trying to introduce himself to voters in other parts of the state. His campaign, which was underfunded, was a major obstacle. Contrary to the stereotype that Republicans are homophobic, most GOP activists do not care that Reid’s gay. Although they may not like the way Reid has expressed his gay lifestyle online — by attending drag shows and posting pictures of nude male models in a five-year old social media account, which he denies — they still see him as an advocate for conservative causes.

Reid could not borrow, steal or beg publicity from the traditional media three weeks ago. He’s now getting more attention than anyone could have imagined. It’s surprising how little of this attention is negative and that his message is being heard.

“We’ve witnessed it time and again: the politics that destroys people. “They’ve done it every day for the last decade to President Trump, ever since he went down that escalator,” Reid told a Henrico County crowd yesterday, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Reid, to loud cheers from the crowd, said: “The Richmond swamp does not like it when you encounter someone who is different and that they cannot control.” “That’s exactly what happened.” They’ve tried to come after me and threaten me. They’ve also used every trick they know to pressure me. Thank you for standing up with me, against the corrupt political machinery that has been preventing Virginia’s progress for years .”

Reid, a Richmond-based conservative radio host, said: “This isn’t about me anymore.” Reid: “This is about us. It’s not just about me anymore. This is bigger than whether you’re white, Black, old, young, evangelically strict, married, single, gay, or straight.”

This is about good men and woman of Virginia standing up to say, “no more.” No more politics based on hate, no politics based on personal destruction, and no politics based upon dirty tricks. We must unite as a political party because the battle will be fought in November. There is too much at stake .”

According to conventional wisdom, this shouldn’t happen.

The Virginia Christian Alliance released an article on April 23 by the Rev. Joshua Daniel Pratt is an activist Christian evangelical in Lynchburg who warned that “John Reid could tank the GOP ticket and destroy Virginia.”

A summary of an article states that Reid’s lifestyle, and his public witness, are not only controversial, but also disqualifying. Reid’s candidacy is causing moral outrage among GOP core voters and a sense of disillusionment. His presence on the GOP ticket could not only cause party division but also jeopardize the GOP ticket statewide.

Pratt cited extensive data from polls that showed liberal positions on gay-rights issues would alienate an important percentage of conservative Christian voter.

Pratt wrote that “Analysts have warned that 10-15% evangelical conservatives could stay home in the November election if Reid is at the top or bottom of the ticket.” This drop in turnout could have disastrous consequences, not just for Reid but also for candidates running down the ballot in competitive House of Delegates district.

Pratt said it was unrealistic to expect Republicans win back independent voters to compensate for the loss. While urban independents may shrug off Reid’s sexuality as a minor issue, rural swing voters are less ambivalent. In a 2019 AP/NORC poll, 20-30% rural independents expressed reservations about LGBTQ+ candidates.

There’s no doubt that Governor Glenn Youngkin was thinking about such practical political calculations when he asked Reid to withdraw from the race.

The polls were asking abstract questions. It is impossible to predict how voters will react until they are presented with real people in real situations. Consider Donald Trump, whose infidelity and sexist behavior towards women tarnished conservative Christian values. Evangelicals voted him regardless. Virginia GOP voters seem to be willing to put aside any reservations they may have had about Reid’s homosexual orientation. If he uploaded a lot of pictures to his own accounts on the internet, then that’s his business.

Reid is more conservative than the majority of Democrats, no matter how liberal he may be on certain LGBQT-related issues. He is against trans women participating in women’s sport. He is against hormonal treatments and surgeries for trans children. He believes that young children shouldn’t be exposed to drag-queen storybook hours. He is against the indoctrination schoolchildren on issues of sex and sexuality.

Consider these alternatives: Ghazala Hahmi Aaron Rouse and Levar Stoney are all vying to be the Democratic Party LG nominee. Will conservative evangelical Christians remain home on Election Day if one of these candidates runs against Reid’s nomination? It would be foolish of them to do so.

Reid’s increasing crowd size makes it clear that the majority of Republican voters understand it.