Republican nominees Winsome Earle-Sears and John Reid speak to each other for the first time in eight weeks

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- After not speaking to each other for eight weeks, Republican nominees Winsome Earle-Sears and John Reid have spoken to each other.

Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for Virginia's governor, spoke to John Reid on Wednesday, June 18, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, after eight weeks since they last spoke, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The Republican Party of Virginia posted to X on June 18, the day after the primaries, that Virginia Republicans are "UNITED behind our ticket and ready to FIGHT and WIN this November," with photos of Earle-Sears, Reid and Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares.

Earle-Sears is facing Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the race for governor, and Reid is facing Senator Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic nominee, in the race for lieutenant governor.

This follows controversy surrounding Reid and a call by Governor Youngkin urging Reid to step down after Youngkin learned that Reid may be connected to a Tumblr account that previously shared sexually explicit images. Reid said the account isn’t his. 

The June 17 primaries were a historic moment for Virginia, with Reid being the first openly gay man to receive a major party’s endorsement for statewide office in the state.

In addition, Virginia is set to get its first woman governor. Further, Hashmi is the first Muslim and the first Indian-American to be nominated to appear on the ballot for a Virginia statewide office.