In a drama reshaping Virginia’s high-stakes 2025 elections, Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones remains in the race despite widespread condemnation of a series of 2022 text messages in which he stated he would shoot a Republican politician in the head and fantasized about the children of another Republican being killed.
The fallout has put pressure on Jones’ party to act, but so far, many prominent Democrats have stopped short of demanding his exit. The messages, first reported by the National Review on Friday and later picked up by multiple outlets, emerged from a 2022 exchange between Jones and Virginia Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner.
In the text exchange, Jones mused that if he had two bullets and faced a choice between shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, Adolf Hitler, or Pol Pot, Gilbert “gets two bullets to the head.” Jones added that if “those guys die before me I will go to their funerals to p**s on their graves.”
In a phone call after the exchange, Jones described a scenario in which Gilbert’s children might die in their mother’s arms, a detail Coyner says she confronted him about. At one point he said, “Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
Coyner, in public remarks to the Virginia Mercury, characterized the texts as “disgusting and unbecoming of any public official.”
Jones has publicly acknowledged sending the messages, saying in a statement that he is “embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry,” and that rereading his words “made me sick to my stomach.” He also said he has reached out directly to Speaker Gilbert and his family to apologize.
But he insisted that he will not bow out of the race, invoking “forgiveness” and “growth” and claiming that he will be focusing on “policy issues.”
Republicans, including Republicans Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Lt. Governor nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, have called on Jones to withdraw, labeling his rhetoric “violent” and “disgusting.”
Jason Miyares, the incumbent Republican attorney general and Jones’ opponent, told the Richmond Times Dispatch the comments are “disqualifying” and questioned whether someone who fantasizes about violence can credibly hold the top law enforcement post.
As reported by Politico, National Republicans, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, have weighed in, demanding Jones drop out of the race.
But on the Democratic side, the lines have been less assertive and clear. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, condemned Jones’ remarks and said she confronted him about them, but has not publicly called for him to leave the race. Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, similarly condemned “the language” while standing by Jones.
Some local and state Democrats have expressed concern and urged accountability, but none formally rescinded support or demanded a forced exit. To the contrary, some Democrats have doubled down in their support for Jones.
Virginia Beach Democrats issued a statement of full support for Jones, writing: “Recent press may have spotlighted past mistakes. We say, let those without sin cast the first stone. Jay Jones has taken responsibility, apologized, and shown he is committed to serving with integrity and accountability that his public record already shows.”
“Virginians deserve a leader who learns, grows, and stands for everyday people and Jay is that leader,” the statement added.
But the pressure against Jones continues to mount. Not only did his texts grab the critical attention of legacy media outlets usually sympathetic to Democrats, but Virginia governor candidate Winsome Earle-Sears released a hard-hitting ad after Spanberger endorsed Jones, extending the controversy to the Democratic candidate for governor, whose lead in the polls up to now has been comfortable.