Jay Jones scandal throws Virginia Democrats into crisis
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Jay Jones speaking at a rally in June. Photo: Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post via Getty Images
A scandal over resurfaced texts from Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones has Democrats in a catch-22.
The big picture: A month before Election Day, pushing Jones off the ticket could fracture Democrats' chances in a pivotal statewide race seen as a bellwether for next year.
- But standing by him risks reinforcing Republican attacks about double standards on political violence.
State of play: Leading Virginia Democrats, including the statewide ticket, have condemned the comments Jones made in 2022 suggesting a hypothetical scenario in which he would shoot the then-Republican House speaker and wished harm on his children.
- But none have called for Jones to step aside.
Meanwhile, Republicans — including President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Gov. Glenn Youngkin — are demanding that Jones immediately drop out of the race.
- MAGA podcaster Jack Posobiec, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and right-wing commentator Matt Walsh have claimed the texts as proof of increasingly hostile rhetoric toward conservatives.
- And the GOP incumbent, Jason Miyares, has launched a $1.5 million ad campaign over the messages that will run for a week.
What they're saying: Jones, a former state delegate who resigned in 2021 to focus on his family, said in a statement Friday that "I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry" for his texts about then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert.
- But he initially framed the messages — first reported by National Review and independently verified by Axios — as part of a smear campaign in comments to Virginia Scope.
- One of the texts said, "Gilbert gets two bullets to the head." Another said Gilbert and his wife are "breeding little fascists."
- Miyares, who Trump endorsed this weekend, said on Saturday that "I don't accept his apology" but stopped short of calling for Jones to withdraw.
Zoom in: Gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears and lieutenant governor nominee John Reid are pressuring their opponents on social media to call on Jones to drop out.
- Jones, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger and lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi's campaigns didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Between the lines: The texts come days after the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that Jones was caught going 116 miles per hour in a 70mph zone in 2022 and did 500 hours of community service at his own political action committee.
- It also comes weeks after early voting first began.
- As of Sunday, over 355,000 Virginians had voted, per VPAP.
What we're watching: National and state Republicans believe the texts could help Miyares hang onto the AG position in an off-year cycle that typically punishes the party controlling the White House, reports Axios' Hans Nichols.
- Virginians haven't split their ticket in a statewide election since 2005.
Go deeper: GOP unveils 7-figure ad campaign on "two bullets" text by Jay Jones