Virginia GOP lieutenant governor candidate launches a Substack

Republican Virginia lieutenant governor candidate John Reid launched a Substack on Tuesday in an effort to engage directly with supporters. 

The Hill was the first outlet to report on the Republican’s Substack, which is called The Reid Revolution and will publish on a weekly basis. 

Reid is one of the first Republican candidates to launch a Substack. The launch comes as other politicians, including a number of potential presidential candidates, have explored new forms of media like podcasts to reach voters. 

In his first post on the platform, which went up early Tuesday morning, Reid noted that his Substack is not a campaign newsletter. 

“It’s a direct line from me to you that is unfiltered by media spin, untethered from political talking points, and free from the gatekeepers who’ve told candidates like me to stay in our lane, water it down, or wait our turn,” Reid wrote. “I’m not interested in playing by their rules.”

In a second post obtained by The Hill, which is slated to be published on Reid’s Substack later on Tuesday, Reid compares his policies to his opponent state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger. 

“Ghazala Hashmi and Abigail Spanberger support a vision where the government always knows best. I don’t. I trust families,” Reid writes. “This campaign isn’t just about childcare or safety or schools. It’s about freedom. It’s about who makes the decisions: you, or them.”

The Republican candidate previously hosted a talk show on WRVA for eight years. 

Reid found himself in the center of a political firestorm in April after Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R ) called for Reid, who is openly gay, to suspend his campaign after a report that Republican researchers came across sexually explicit photos on Tumblr posted by an account with the same username Reid uses on other sites. Reid has adamantly denied the allegations and went as far as to accuse Youngkin’s team of extortion. Reid, who is openly gay, has also said the reason he is being targeted is because of his sexuality.

A lawyer representing Reid sent a cease and desist letter to Matt Moran, then the executive director of Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC, who later stepped down from his post. 

Virginia Republicans were quick to come to Reid’s defense in the face of the controversy, calling Youngkin’s move “an unforced error” and laying blame on the Spirit of Virginia PAC. 

Last month, Youngkin acknowledged Reid as the party’s lieutenant gubernatorial nominee, telling reporters, “He has clearly made up his mind that he’s going to stay in.”