The openly gay Virginia Republican nominee for lieutenant governor is defying calls to drop out of the race after GOP researchers allegedly found social media posts with sexually explicit photos they claim are linked to him.

A longtime Richmond-area radio host, John Reid became the GOP nominee when his opponent suddenly dropped out of the race last month due to debilitating heart issues.

Governor Youngkin called Mr. Reid and suggested he withdraw from the race. Mr. Reid says the governor claimed “there were salacious pictures on the internet reposted by an account that uses my Instagram handle.”

The images were reportedly on a Tumblr blog page that matched the name Mr. Reid uses on other social media platforms. The page was taken down after the Richmonder published an article on the photos.

Mr. Reid released a video responding to the controversy, saying he is “mad as hell” and claiming it is the second smear he has faced in the campaign.

In the first, he said, he was contacted by a religious activist claiming to have photos that would “destroy his life” and urging him to drop out of the race. Mr. Reid said they were images of him at a drag show in Richmond.

Mr. Reid said he has repeatedly asserted that drag is not for children but “who cares what adults watch or what they do in an of-age restaurant or bar or club?” He called that incident a “ridiculous” extortion attempt.

Mr. Reid called the new social media photos incident a “total fabricated internet lie so basic that a middle-schooler could have constructed it,” and added, “It’s predictable. But what I didn’t expect was the governor I have always supported to call and demand my resignation without even showing me the supposed evidence or offering me a chance to respond. I did not accept that, and I deeply resent it.”

He said the account was created without his knowledge with his photo and Instagram handle to repost photos of nude men, including porn models. “I can tell you that’s not my account,” Mr. Reid said.

Mr. Reid calls the Tumbler issue a “coordinated assassination attempt against me to force the first openly gay candidate off a Virginia state line ticket.” His lawyer sent a letter to an adviser to the governor, Matthew Moran, warning him to stop spreading information about the Tumblr account.

The letter, obtained by the Washington Post, claims Mr. Moran has defamed Mr. Reid by making knowingly untrue statements. The letter demands he retract “defamatory statements” and to preserve all records of his efforts to get Mr. Reid to quit the race, including the creation of a political viability study on Mr. Reid. Mr. Moran stepped away as head of Mr. Youngkin’s PAC on Thursday, sources told the Richmond Times Dispatch.

Mr. Youngkin, who cannot run for re-election due to term limits in Virginia, later confirmed he had spoken to Mr. Reid but said “the decision is … up to John” on whether to drop out.

Republicans could select a new nominee if Mr. Reid drops out of the race, but the window has closed to back a primary challenger against him. Early voting has started and in-person voting is June 17.

Mr. Reid remains on the campaign trail and has appeared at several events this week. He is adamant he is not dropping out. “If people thought I was bluffing – I was not,” he said in an X post. “I will not be abused or blackmailed.”

The Republican ticket is diverse this year, with a Black woman running for governor, the Hispanic attorney general seeking re-election, and Mr. Reid, an openly gay man, running for lieutenant governor.

Virginia has flipped between electing Republicans and Democrats as governor over the past three decades. The Center for Politics has listed the state as “Leans Democratic” for the November general election.