This article was reprinted with permission from .听
After months of infighting that exposed deep fractures within the Virginia GOP, the party鈥檚 three statewide candidates appeared together for the first time Tuesday evening, projecting a message of unity at a packed rally in Vienna.
The event at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department drew and marked a public effort to move past a bitter dispute that erupted this spring when Gov. Glenn Youngkin privately asked John Reid, the party鈥檚 nominee for lieutenant governor, to withdraw from the race.
At the center of the turmoil was Matt Moran, a longtime GOP operative and head of Youngkin鈥檚 Spirit of Virginia PAC, who was accused by Reid鈥檚 campaign of spreading false and defamatory claims about explicit images linked to a Tumblr account with the same social media handle as Reid鈥檚. Reid denied being tied to the account in any way.
Despite that request, Reid took the stage Tuesday alongside Youngkin, Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is seeking re-election, and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, now running for governor. They shared a stage on a sweltering summer evening, as volunteers handed out water bottles to attendees crowding into the fire station鈥檚 main hall.
Reid, a longtime conservative radio host and the first openly gay person nominated for statewide office in Virginia, framed the moment as a turning point.
鈥淐all this Commitment Day,鈥� he told the cheering audience. 鈥淚 am all in for the Republican ticket of Winsome Sears for governor, Jason Miyares returning as attorney general 鈥� because the Republicans have the right policies to save the state of Virginia.鈥�
Without referencing the recent controversy directly, Reid emphasized his credentials and long-standing work within the GOP.
鈥淚鈥檓 the guy, like you, who gets up early on Election Day, opens the polls, and stays until they close,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e stood up for minorities, for unpopular people 鈥� and yes, even for Democrats when they鈥檝e been wronged. I鈥檒l do the same for you in Richmond.鈥�
The remarks attempted to rally Republican voters behind a ticket that has been overshadowed in recent months by damaging internal conflict.
Youngkin, who had remained largely silent during the dispute, offered a full-throated endorsement of the entire Republican slate at Tuesday鈥檚 rally 鈥� including Reid.
鈥淚t must be winning time again! Are you ready to sweep?鈥� Youngkin shouted to the fired up Republicans in the room. 鈥淲e鈥檝e demonstrated how to win in Virginia 鈥� and we鈥檙e going to do it again this November.鈥�
He praised each member of the ticket, calling Earle-Sears 鈥渁 Marine who knows how to fight,鈥� Miyares 鈥渢he best attorney general in the country,鈥� and Reid the right choice to break ties in a closely divided state Senate.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of stuff I don鈥檛 know,鈥� Youngkin said, 鈥渂ut I do know this 鈥� when there is a 50/50 tie in that Senate, John Reid is going to sign bills the right way, and say no when they鈥檙e the wrong bills.鈥�
Miyares leaned heavily on the campaign鈥檚 , casting his first term as a reversal of Democratic mismanagement.
鈥淭he Virginia of 2021 was very, very different,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was like when you watch those mafia movies and the guy wakes up in the trunk of the Buick 鈥� he doesn鈥檛 know where he鈥檚 headed, but he knows it鈥檚 not a good final destination. That was Virginia. We were dying as a state.鈥�
Miyares credited the Youngkin administration with driving down the state鈥檚 murder rate and addiction deaths, and pledged to continue fighting crime, fentanyl trafficking and lenient parole policies.
Earle-Sears, who now tops the ticket, delivered the most fiery speech of the evening, lashing out at her Democratic opponent, former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger.
鈥淢ake no mistake about it: the ideas that my opponent has are socialist in nature,鈥� she declared. 鈥淪he is reckless and she is radical. I want to grow jobs and she wants to grow government. Folks, this is not hard. This is about freedom!鈥�
She warned that repealing Virginia鈥檚 right-to-work laws 鈥� a position Spanberger either 鈥� would drive businesses out of the state.
鈥淚 am not anti-union, I am pro-worker,鈥� Earle-Sears said. 鈥淭o be pro-freedom is to be pro-liberty鈥� Businesses will get up and go. They鈥檙e going to turn us into Maryland, New York, or California.鈥�
And in a moment that brought the crowd to its feet, Earle-Sears rejected the notion that America is inherently unjust.
鈥淚f things are so bad, then how is it that here I am 鈥� an immigrant, a Black woman 鈥� and I am second in command in the former capital of the Confederate States?鈥� she asked.
But Democrats were quick to dismiss the GOP鈥檚 show of unity as superficial and out of step with voters鈥� real concerns.
Maggie Amjad, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Party of Virginia, said Earle-Sears鈥� rhetoric at the rally only underscored how closely she aligns with former President Donald Trump.
鈥淣o matter what Winsome Earle-Sears says, Virginians know that she will always put Donald Trump鈥檚 agenda before the commonwealth,鈥� Amjad said in a text message.
She accused the lieutenant governor of cheering on policies that threaten Virginia鈥檚 economy and failing to stand up against cuts to that could affect more than 300,000 residents.
鈥淲hile Virginians deserve a governor who fights for the commonwealth,鈥� Amjad added, 鈥淪ears is dismissing workers worried about their jobs and telling Virginians to 鈥榳ait and see鈥� as their healthcare is at risk.鈥�
Still, Tuesday鈥檚 GOP rally served as a public reset for the party after an earlier unity event planned for Henrico County was abruptly canceled in May as tensions reached a boiling point. At the time, former Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling was among those who publicly criticized the fallout, noting that no one had confirmed whether the explicit account in question was ever actually linked to Reid.
鈥淚t derailed what was supposed to be the GOP鈥檚 first show of unity,鈥� Bolling said at the time.
Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Mark Peake struck a more optimistic tone Tuesday, declaring the current statewide ticket 鈥渢he best since 2021鈥� and predicting victory across the board.
鈥淲e are going to win all three statewide races,鈥� Peake said. 鈥淭here are three reasons why: Winsome Earle-Sears, Jason Miyares, and John Reid.鈥�
For their part, the GOP party leaders appear intent on turning the page and putting the rift behind them.
鈥淰irginia today is the very best place to live and work and raise a family,鈥� Youngkin told the crowd. 鈥淏ut we have to protect that. We know how to win 鈥� and now we have the candidates to do it.鈥�
Virginia Mercury reporter Nathaniel Cline contributed to this report.
