Jay Jones, the Democrat candidate for Attorney General in Virginia’s elections on November 4, is facing intense criticism following the release of text messages he sent in 2022 expressing his desire to shoot then-Speaker of the Virginia House, Todd Gilbert, and that his children would die.
In the text messages, Jones, a former state legislator, told a Republican colleague following a funeral for a deceased elected official that, “if those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves,” referring to Republicans who spoke at the funeral. Jones went to explain, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” He added, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know, and he receives both bullets every time”.
The texts were first reported on Friday, October 3, and no fellow statewide Virginia candidate or federal officials have called for Jones to drop out of the race. Jones initially responded with a statement that attacked his opponent, incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, saying, “”Let’s be clear about what is happening in the attorney general race right now: Jason Miyares is dropping smears through Trump-controlled media organizations to assault my character and rescue his desperate campaign…This is a strategy that ensures Jason Miyares will continue to be accountable to Donald Trump, not the people of Virginia. This race is about whether Trump can control Virginia or Virginians control Virginia.”
Following the statements of fellow Democrats, such as Abigail Spanberger, the Democrat candidate for Virginia Governor, Jones issued a second statement which said in part, “I take full responsibility for my actions, and I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family. Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry. I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children. I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and offer my sincere apology.
Republicans such as Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, Republican candidate for Virginia Governor, who called Jones’s comments, “wholly disqualifying,” and President Donald Trump, have called for Jones to drop out of the race.
The unearthed text messages by Jones come in the wake of the murder of conservative commentator and activist Charlie Kirk, whose assassin wrote “hey fascist, catch!” on the bullet used to kill the 31-year-old father of two. That murder drew applause in many corners of social media, leading to firings, and a notable mischaracterization of the facts surrounding the assassin by ABC late night personality Jimmy Kimmel.
As of October 6, Jones remains the Democrat nominee for Attorney General of Virginia.
