Recently, John Reid, the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor, announced that if efforts to enshrine same-sex marriage rights into Virginia’s constitution met a tie in the Senate chamber, he would vote against it.

“It doesn’t provide protection for people who sincerely don’t agree with gay marriage,” he said of the proposed amendment. “I mean, you know, I’m running to be the lieutenant governor, not to be somebody’s pastor, but I’ve got to protect everybody’s rights.”

In fact, you’re not protecting “everybody’s rights” until all people have equal rights. Moreover, nobody would want John Reid as their pastor. Not because he’s gay, but because he’s allegedly a perv according to his own party.

In April, Gov. Glenn Youngkin urged Reid to withdraw from the race after a Tumblr account with the same name as Reid’s other online profiles shared graphic sexual images. Reid refused to withdraw.

“Let’s be honest: It’s because I’m openly gay and I have never bowed down to the establishment and I will not,” Reid said in response.

Isn’t opposing same-sex marriage rights quite literally the definition of bowing to “the [Republican] establishment?”

As a heterosexual GOP Kansas legislator (registered independent since August 2015), I stood against my party and supported the legalization of medical marijuana, the renters homestead credit and Medicaid expansion. A few months later, I hosted 110 members of the Heartland Gay Men’s Chorus at my home for dinner. Later that year, I spoke at their annual gala.

Why? Because these were the right things to do and I refused to bow to “the establishment.”

Having observed Levar Stoney’s failed approach to leadership, I was concerned that “establishment” Democrats would prevail on June 17. It’s no secret that Stoney is owned and operated by wannabe Democratic “godfather” Terry McAuliffe, whose daughter served both as the former Richmond mayor’s chief of staff and campaign manager. Stoney’s campaign employed the usual under-handed tricks aimed at winning over voters who’d never heard of him. In the end, however, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi prevailed.

Republican John Reid is a conservative talk radio host and by all indications, a spineless grifter who caves under “establishment” pressure. While he is the first openly gay candidate of any party to run for statewide election in Virginia, I will proudly be casting my vote in November for the authentically anti-establishment candidate who has earned her political stripes.

I encourage you to join me in electing Ghazala Hashmi as Virginia’s next lieutenant governor.

J. BASIL DANNEBOHM

Fredericksburg