Democrat Jay Jones has won the election for Virginia attorney general, defeating Republican incumbent Jason Miyares. The victory comes after a late-race controversy surrounding inflammatory and violent text messages sent by Jones in 2022.
The attorney general’s race drew significant attention when a series of text messages Jones sent in 2022 were made public last month. In the messages, Jones, a former state lawmaker who was not in office at the time, made statements directed at then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican.
The messages, released by the Republican Attorneys General Association and reported by the National Review, contained remarks suggesting violence. Jones wrote, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot.” He continued, “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head. Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”
The messages drew bipartisan condemnation. Jones issued an apology to Gilbert and his family, stating, “Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry.”
Republicans in the state called for Jones to drop out of the race. While many Democrats condemned the content of the texts, they largely stopped short of calling for him to end his candidacy.
The controversy also impacted the governor’s race. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger stated she “spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted” and “made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words.”
Spanberger did not call for Jones’s exit, noting during a debate that the ultimate decision was “up to voters to make a choice based on this information.”
Despite the obvious controversy in the race’s final stretch, Jones secured the necessary votes to defeat Miyares and become Virginia’s next attorney general.
READ: Democrat Abigail Spanberger Wins Virginia Governor’s Race
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