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: 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. Youngkin — are demanding Jones immediately drop out.

• 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, 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."

Zoom in: Gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears and lieutenant governor nominee John Reid are pressuring their opponents on social media to force Jones out.

• Campaigns for Jones, Abigail Spanberger and lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi didn't respond to Axios' request for comment.

What we're watching: 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.

How many people have already voted

Henrico County is building a $300 million water transmission main that will connect the Eastern part of the county to its water treatment plant in the West End.

Why it matters: Once the new line is complete, county residents won't have to rely on Richmond and its beleaguered water plant for their water supply.

State of play: The Henrico County Board of Supervisors approved plans last month for the East End Water Transmission Main Project.

• County officials hoped to develop a regional water supply solution that included Richmond, but ultimately decided to move forward on its own after the city "rebuked" those efforts, County Manager John Vithoulkas told the Henrico Citizen.
• Henrico's plan will be expensive and take time, but Vithoulkas said they don't anticipate residents' utility bills will go up.

What's next: Work for the 13-mile, $300 million pipeline extension should start in summer of 2028.

• In 2045, the county will start work on a second pipeline for the East End and its future residents.

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🗳️ Former 6th District City Council candidate Tavares Floyd was indicted yesterday on felony election fraud charges, which could carry up to 40 years in prison. (VPM)

• He was charged with four counts of knowingly making false statements on campaign documents.

🏨 The Jefferson Hotel owner will convert the 100-year-old Second Baptist Church next door into a banquet hall, a reversal from a 2022 plan to demolish the church. (BizSense)

🍷 Brambly Park launches a date night special tonight: $45 for two entrees, a shared appetizer or dessert and a bottle of wine. Available nightly after 7:30pm for dine-in or takeout. (Instagram)

😻 The Richmond SPCA is waiving cat and kitten adoption fees through Wednesday in honor of Francine's return. (Instagram)

Government food assistance programs may be at risk if Congress is unable to reach a funding agreement to stop the shutdown in the coming weeks.

The big picture: Millions of mothers, infants and low-income families who rely on WIC and SNAP could lose that support.

• In Virginia, an estimated 9.2% of the population — or more than 800,000 people — participated in SNAP as of March and roughly 100,000 Virginians participated in WIC, per federal data.

What's next: WIC could run out of funds within weeks.

• SNAP funding is secure through October, but it's unclear how long funds would last after that.

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Francine, the beloved resident shop cat at the Fan District Lowe's, is now safely back in Richmond after nearly 20 days missing.

Why it matters: It took professional trackers, video surveillance, thermal drones, the work of five animal shelters across two states, one tireless two-person task force and Richmonders' collective nonstop attention to find her.

Here's how it happened, according to Lowe's corporate office.

Lowe's staffers had been scouring feeds from the 246 cameras at the Lowe's regional distribution center in Garysburg, North Carolina, which was Francine's most likely location after hopping on a Lowe's truck headed there in mid-September.

• It was crickets, for weeks.

Until Saturday, when Francine was spotted on one of the feeds.

Fan Lowe's staffers Mike Sida and Wayne Schneider made the 90-minute drive down on Saturday, taking Francine's favorite food to lure her out.

• But no dice.

Then, just before midnight Sunday, Francine walked into one of the humane traps.

• Sida and Schneider got up at 4am yesterday and made the drive yet again.
• And when they arrived, Francine "jumped into the waiting arms" of Schneider, per a Lowe's post.

Now she's back in Richmond and ready to get back to her regular schedule of napping on Lowe's merchandise.

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