Virginia Attorney General Candidate Faces Backlash Over Violent Texts Yet Maintains Support from Democratic Leaders

Virginia Attorney General Candidate Faces Backlash Over Violent Texts Yet Maintains Support from Democratic Leaders

Top Democrats continue to back Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones despite a recent report detailing troubling text messages where he expressed violent fantasies about a Republican colleague.

A bombshell report from National Review uncovered that in 2022, Jones sent messages discussing shooting the head off a Republican lawmaker and wished harm upon the lawmaker’s children. After this revelation, Fox News Digital contacted prominent Democrats who had previously endorsed Jones to see if they would retract their endorsements.

Democratic Senator Cory Booker, who endorsed Jones in June, has not withdrawn his support. His office did not provide further comments to Fox News Digital regarding the situation.

The offices of three Democratic House members—Reps. Eugene Vindman, Robert Scott, and Suhas Subramanyam—who also supported Jones, similarly did not respond to inquiries about their current stance.

Reactions from Political Opponents

In light of Jones’ violent comments, Vindman’s Republican opponent, Tara Durant, criticized him for failing to speak out against the rhetoric. In a press release, Durant remarked, “At a time when political violence is becoming all too real, Virginians deserve leaders who will lower the temperature and call out dangerous rhetoric—not turn a blind eye when it’s politically convenient.”

Despite the backlash, Vindman reaffirmed his support for Jones shortly after the report through a post on social media. Meanwhile, Virginia’s Democratic Senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, have not officially endorsed Jones. However, they have refrained from directly calling for him to exit the race.

Warner referred to Jones’s texts as “appalling” and suggested they don’t align with the person he has known for years, as reported by Virginia Mercury. Kaine also expressed disapproval, stating, “There is nothing that can justify these indefensible words and they are contrary to all I’ve known about Jay Jones for decades. With hundreds of thousands of Virginians already having voted, it’s up to Virginians to decide.”

Warner’s office did not provide any immediate comments to Fox News Digital.

Calls for Accountability

Democratic Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, who is running for governor in a closely watched election, denounced Jones’ texts but fell short of calling for his withdrawal from the attorney general race. Spanberger stated, “I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words. As a candidate—and as the next governor of our commonwealth—I will always condemn violent language in our politics.”

Fox News Digital attempted to reach Spanberger’s campaign for additional comments but received no response as of Monday evening.

The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee issued a strong statement in favor of Jones, urging all Virginians to unite behind him. The committee declared, “We are lined up, ten toes down, ready to organize, mobilize and deliver voters for Jay and our entire Democratic ticket. 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.”

Support from Advocacy Groups

Various liberal advocacy organizations have also endorsed Jones, including Everytown for Gun Safety, which contributed $200,000 to his campaign earlier this year. When questioned about whether they would retract their endorsement, the organization did not respond.

Republicans nationwide have been vocal in their calls for Jones to exit the race. They have drawn connections between violent rhetoric from the left and political violence, citing incidents such as assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump and the murder of political activist Charlie Kirk.

Trump himself posted on social media, “Democrat Jay Jones should drop out of the race immediately, and the people of Virginia must continue to have a great attorney general in Jason Miyares, who, by the way, has my complete and total endorsement.”

Concerns About Political Rhetoric

Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears have spoken out against Jones in light of the text messages, asserting that they raise serious concerns regarding his capability to serve in office. Jones has since apologized for the remarks, claiming they were “embarrassing and shameful,” and stated that he had reached out personally to the lawmaker and his family.

As of now, Fox News Digital has reached out to the Jones campaign for clarification regarding his intentions to remain in the race but has yet to receive a reply.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.