EP50 - John Reid, History... and Blackmail? with Paul Goldman

EP50 - John Reid, History and Blackmail? with Paul Goldman. On episode 50 of the Black Virginia News podcast Lauren Burke talks with attorney Paul Goldman about the unprecedented state of play around Republican Lt. Governor nominee John Reid after Gov. Glenn Youngkin contacted him to drop out of the 2025 race for Lieutenant Governor. Goldman, the former campaign manager for L. Douglas Wilder, will analyze the history of smear campaigns in politics in Virginia.

This podcast analyzes the current moment involving John Reid and goes over the history related to Mary Sue Terry, Justin Fairfax and L. Douglas Wilder. We’ll also discuss the challenges that non-establishment candidates have up against a power system that wants to control the game. Everything old is new again.

John Reid, a popular conservative radio host for WRVA who tossed his hat in the ring to be Virginia’s 43rd Lt. Governor, is fighting back after Gov. Glenn Youngkin called for him to drop out the 2025 race over risqué social media posts that Reid denies are his. Reid is the first openly gay candidate of either party to be on a statewide ticket in Virginia.

On April 21, Pat Herrity — the establishment-backed GOP candidate and a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors — dropped out of the lieutenant governor’s race just weeks after undergoing a heart procedure. His departure effectively made John Reid the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor.

But just four days after securing the nomination, a familiar pattern often seen when anti-establishment candidates rise to power emerged: an unexpected negative allegation against Reid surfaced on April 25. Reid, however, is pushing back hard and threatening legal action. Burke and Goldman break down every angle of the unfolding situation.

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