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The growing scandal of the former state of Virginia, Del. Jay Jones, for messages that imagined the murder of one republican The lawmaker and his “fascist” young sons — are expected to dominate Thursday’s attorney general debate at the University of Richmond.
The tentacles of the scandal have already reached far beyond the house of the Spiders, as president Donald Trump and Republican leaders across the country latched onto the messages of Jones, D-Norfolk, and the muted response of his fellow Democrats.
The most recent poll endorsed by Fox News, conducted by Christopher Newport University on Oct. 3 before the scandal broke, showed Jones leading Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares by six points, with other Democrats on the state ticket enjoying similar margins.
But anecdotal evidence points to a tight race, with Miyares shouldering the three-seat GOP ticket while Jones’ campaign falters.
Virginia Attorney General Candidates Jay Jones and Jason Miyares (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears hammered Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger on the issue at her own debate last week in Norfolk, repeatedly asking whether Jones should withdraw from the race.
Spanberger declined to call for his resignation, saying voters should decide, but several voters in the Shenandoah Valley told Fox News Digital they were disappointed he didn’t take a stronger stance.
Jones’ fellow Democrats have been silent or vaguely supportive of her continuing her candidacy for the former Biden administration Justice Department employee, even as polls and public sentiment suggest her troubles could topple the rest of the Democratic ticket.
Democrats are backing Jones despite the backlash
current Speaker of the Virginia House Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, was defiant when he addressed the media after the governor’s debate, comparing and contrasting the situation to Trump’s own words about Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney facing gunfire in one of the war zones where she defended her neoconservative stances.
Senate President L. Louise Lucas, D-Norfolk, and caucus campaign chief Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, later issued a joint statement supporting Jones and warning that keeping Miyares in office would be worse.
Meanwhile, Earle-Sears has a similar grip on the Republican base as Youngkin, but still trails Spanberger in recent polls. Miyares, however, has now closed the gap or narrowly edged Jones, which experts said may help reduce Democratic turnout for the entire ticket.
Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reid recently posted on social media that he reportedly came within a point or two of challenger Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, although the polling rubric he was referring to was not immediately verifiable.
Together, these signs suggest a tightening statewide contest in an increasingly blue-leaning commonwealth.
Virginia’s political upheaval changes again
In 2021, Republican Glenn Youngkin scored an upset victory over parental rights outrage over transgender athletes in school sports. Since then, Earle-Sears has championed that very issue while also hammering Democrats for their silence or ambivalence about Jones remaining in the race.
Youngkin’s upset of Terry McAuliffe was an outlier compared to other recent Virginia races, notably Republican military veteran Hung Cao’s 20-point loss to Sen. Tim Kaine in the 2024 midterm elections. Kamala Harris he also defeated Trump that year.
A decade ago, Republicans still had some presence in heavily populated northern Virginia. Then-Prince William County President Corey Stewart, seen as a staunch conservative, unsuccessfully sought statewide office but remained in the suburban county leadership for many years.
Although currently opposed to Trump’s brand of Republicanism, then-Rep. Barbara Comstock, was a popular official in the now progressive Loudoun County area. Del. Geary Higgins, R-Lovettsville, remains the only GOP delegate in the once-red western Washington county. Although he too faces a tough road against Warrenton hotelier John McAuliff in the November contest.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin addresses the crowd during an early voting rally on September 21, 2023 in Petersburg, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, file)
During his campaign, Youngkin made repeated trips to southwest Virginia to increase margins in Republican strongholds and increase turnout, a strategy that, combined with support from concerned parents in the Democratic-leaning northern Virginia suburbs, helped secure his victory.
Jones’ texts revealed
In the messages first reported earlier this month, Jones texted Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Hopewell, in 2022 imagining a scenario where she would choose to “fire two bullets” into the head of then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, describing Gilbert as worse than dictators Pol Pot or Adolf Hitler.
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Jones also referred to Gilbert’s young sons as “fascists” in the exchange.
The revelations have drawn bipartisan condemnation, though Democratic leaders have so far resisted calls, including from Youngkin, for Jones to withdraw from the race.
