By Markus Schmidt
(VM) – John Curran, the former Republican candidate for lieutenant governor who said internal sabotage cost him a spot on the primary ballot, announced Monday he is re-entering the race — this time as a GOP-aligned write-in.

“Today, I am announcing my WRITE-IN campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia as a Republican,” Curran said in a statement. “My decision is not to split the ticket but to save it.”

Curran’s announcement reignites tensions in an already turbulent race following his exit in April, when he failed to qualify for the ballot despite claiming to have far surpassed the 10,000-signature requirement.

“Unfortunately, a person(s) associated with my campaign conspired to steal most of my signatures and then attempted to extort money for them,” Curran wrote in a Facebook post after the filing deadline passed. “Disappointingly, the Virginia Department of Elections and the Republican Party of Virginia did nothing to correct this wrong.”

Mark Peake, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, dismissed Curran’s write-in bid as entirely unofficial, distancing the party from his campaign.

“He is not running under the GOP banner whatsoever,” Peake said. “We have a GOP candidate, and that’s John Reid.”

Peake pointed out that Curran never qualified for the Republican primary, despite claiming to be a contender. “He failed to get enough signatures to get on the ballot,” he said. “He is 100% not a Republican candidate in this upcoming election.”

And Andrea Gaines, a spokeswoman for the department, said in an email that since write-in candidates do not appear on the ballot, “they do not have party affiliation.”

Political observers say Curran’s surprise reentry raises more questions than answers.

“It is difficult to know what to make of John Curran’s announcement,” said David Richards, a political science professor at the University of Lynchburg. “As a write-in candidate, it seems like the sore loser law might not apply, but it also might limit his campaigning. Regardless, the whole thing seems odd.”

Curran said in his statement that his campaign is fueled by “grassroots organizations, religious and family groups, and collegiate groups” and not designed to divide the party. But by positioning himself as an alternative to Reid, the GOP’s official nominee, he risks deepening an already visible rift within the party.

“Is Curran running to offer an alternative to John Reid? While that might seem a likely scenario, it has the danger of splitting the party,” Richards noted. “And the GOP has already been wrestling with Reid’s candidacy.”

Reid, a conservative commentator and longtime Richmond radio host, became the GOP’s nominee by default after Pat Herrity, a longtime member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, dropped out for health reasons. 

Late last month, Virginia’s GOP turmoil escalated when Reid accused Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC of attempted extortion, claiming the group offered to make damaging attacks disappear if he dropped out. Reid said the threats came after Youngkin personally urged him to quit over concerns tied to a controversial social media account.

Reid, the first openly gay statewide candidate in Virginia history, called the situation “bigotry and ugliness,” warning that the pressure from party leaders has only intensified.

Curran alluded to those dynamics Monday, emphasizing that his concern is not Reid’s personal background, but the process that installed him as nominee.

“This issue is not about my opponent being gay; it is about Virginia deserving the ability to choose who represents them as the Republican candidate,” he said.

When asked for comment about Curran’s renewed bid, a campaign spokesman for Reid texted back, “Who?”

Curran is now betting that Virginia conservatives will rally around a write-in candidacy — a historically uphill battle. “Write-in campaigns are notoriously difficult to pull off,” Richards said, pointing to the failed 2024 effort by Bob Good supporters to mount a last-ditch write-in bid after his congressional primary defeat.

“Only a few hundred wrote in Good’s name. This time it is a candidate himself announcing the write-in campaign. Maybe he will gain some traction, but it will take a tremendous shift in the GOP vote to make a difference.”

Curran’s platform touches on a range of issues — from housing and disaster recovery in Southwest Virginia to opposing abortion and improving adoption services.

“Virginia faces real issues that require strong leadership,” he said, portraying himself as a principled outsider wronged by the system. “It is time for common sense and strength, for someone who will fight for everyone.”

Still, his decision could prove costly for Republicans in November.

“Every write-in for Curran will mean a vote taken away from Reid,” Richards said. “That opens the lead for whoever wins the Democratic primary in June.”