VA-LG: The GOP's disgraceful bid to sandbag its openly gay lieutenant governor nominee

Things aren’t always what they seem to be, especially in today’s online realm.

A “friend request” appeared in my Facebook notifications last week that I immediately recognized as phony. It purported to be from a real-life friend I’ve known for more than a quarter of a century. It used his real name and photo, but it had only 16 friends, not his more than 2,000 online friends, including me. So I reported the sham account to Facebook and texted my friend, who knew about it and had already alerted Facebook. The fake “friendvite” was one of many I reject and report every week.

Having a large social media following is not unusual for people like my friend, who spent most of his career in the public eye during decades of distinguished service at top levels in state government. They’re also prime targets for digital impostors.

The very next day, another friend of mine — longtime Richmond morning radio talk show host and Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid — was the focus of lurid accusations stemming from posts on a dubious social media account.





https://virginiamercury.com/2025/04/29/the-gops-disgraceful-bid-to-sandbag-its-openly-gay-lieutenant-governor-nominee/