Virginia Republicans are putting forward one of the most paradoxical tickets in recent memory—pairing a longtime anti-LBGTQ politician with an openly gay candidate. Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, now the GOP’s nominee for governor, is running alongside John Reid, a white, gay conservative radio host seeking the lieutenant governorship.
Reid’s partner, Alonzo Mable, who is Black, serves on Virginia’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. The ticket is historic: Reid would be Virginia’s first openly gay statewide officeholder, and Earle-Sears the first woman governor. But for LGBTQ Virginians, it’s also raising eyebrows. Back in 2004, Earle-Sears pledged to ban same-sex couples from adopting, oppose nondiscrimination protections, and even impeach judges who, in her words, “legislate the homosexual agenda.”
Just last year, she signed Virginia’s bipartisan marriage equality bill but insisted in the record that she was “morally opposed.” Her actions speak volumes. She misgendered Senator Danica Roem during a Senate session, addressed Regent University, where policies denounce homosexuality, and praised The Family Foundation—an organization hostile to queer rights. Meanwhile, Reid’s candidacy has faced turbulence. Governor Glenn Youngkin urged him to withdraw earlier this year over allegations he denies. Democrats are seizing on the contradiction.
At an Emily’s List event, Senator Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, declared: “Everybody deserves the opportunity to live with dignity and full equality. And we’ve got a constitutional amendment on marriage equality, and I’m confident we’re going to pass it.” With former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger leading the governor’s race and Hashmi on the ticket, Democrats are highlighting the possibility of Virginia’s first all-female statewide leadership team. Polls show Spanberger leading both in votes and fundraising, leaving voters to decide if the GOP’s gamble on a divided message will pay off.
