Theory Question About Pull Down Resistors

Hello all. I have a generic theoretical question about pull down resistors and GPIO pins. If I had a microcontroller pin configured as an output, which is then connected to an LED and current limiting resistor (something low, like 100 ohms for example), when compiling and code the pin will float and the LED will flicker during this process. To correct this, I know the general solution is to connect a high value resistor (such as 10K) between the pin and ground, so that it holds the pin low until the compilation process has completed. When the pin is eventually driven high through code, the current will flow through the LED as the path of least resistance. My question is, why does the stray voltage produced while the pin is floating also still not go through the LED, as it would have less resistance than the pull-down resistor. Thanks.