Leading Democrats in Virginia are facing mounting criticism for continuing to support their party’s attorney general nominee, Jay Jones, despite the emergence of text messages in which he expressed violent fantasies about murdering a Republican lawmaker and his children.
The revelation has shaken the attorney general race, which was already among the most closely watched contests in the country. Yet, despite bipartisan condemnation, senior Democrats have not rescinded their endorsements of Jones.
The controversy erupted after the National Review published text messages from 2022, in which Jones, then a state legislator, sent violent remarks to a colleague about then–Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert.
In one message, Jones wrote that he wanted to put “two bullets” in Gilbert’s head. The texts reportedly didn’t stop there — Jones also made disturbing comments about Gilbert’s family.
According to the report, Jones told Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner that he believed “only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy,” before explicitly turning his anger toward Gilbert’s wife and children.
“Do I think Todd and Jennifer are evil? And that they’re breeding little fascists? Yes,” he wrote. The messages have drawn widespread condemnation for their violent and dehumanizing language.
Republican leaders immediately denounced Jones’s comments as disqualifying. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who has frequently sparred with Jones in public debates, called the comments “beyond disgusting.”
“This violent, disgusting rhetoric targeted at an elected official and his children is beyond disqualifying,” Youngkin wrote on X. “There is no ‘gosh, I’m sorry’ here. Jones doesn’t have the morality or character to drop out of this race, and his running mates Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi, and every elected Democrat in Virginia don’t have the courage to call on him to step away from this campaign in disgrace.”
Youngkin’s remarks were echoed by Vice President J.D. Vance, who said the messages revealed a deep moral failing within the Democratic Party’s leadership. “The Democrat candidate for AG in Virginia has been fantasizing about murdering his political opponents in private messages,” Vance wrote.
“I’m sure the people hyperventilating about sombrero memes will join me in calling for this very deranged person to drop out of the race.”
Despite the gravity of the revelations, top Democrats have largely refused to withdraw their support for Jones. Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger issued a mild statement condemning the violent language but stopped short of calling for Jones’s withdrawal.
“I will always condemn violent language in our politics,” she said, noting that she had spoken “frankly” with Jones after the texts surfaced. Spanberger added that she accepted his apology and believed he was “focused on serving with accountability.”
Meanwhile, the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee went even further by reaffirming its endorsement of Jones. In a statement that many critics have called tone-deaf, the committee said that Jones had taken responsibility for his words and had shown “integrity and accountability.”
“We are lined up, ten toes down, ready to organize, mobilize, and deliver voters for Jay and our entire Democratic ticket,” the committee declared. “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.”
The statement triggered immediate backlash from conservatives, victims’ rights advocates, and political observers who viewed it as a dismissal of Jones’s violent rhetoric.
Many questioned how a candidate who publicly threatened a colleague’s family could be considered fit for public office, let alone the state’s top law enforcement position.
Former President Donald Trump also weighed in, demanding that Jones end his campaign immediately. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump didn’t mince words: “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,” Trump said in a statement posted to Truth Social.
Attorney General Jason Miyares, the Republican incumbent, has so far avoided directly commenting on the text messages, instead calling for voters to make a judgment based on character and leadership. “This election is about who Virginians trust to uphold the law fairly and without bias,” Miyares said during a recent interview.
Jones initially responded to the scandal by attacking his opponent and the media. “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,” Jones said in a statement. “This is a strategy that ensures Jason Miyares will continue to be accountable to Donald Trump, not the people of Virginia.”
His combative tone drew further criticism, with many saying it demonstrated a lack of remorse. However, in a follow-up statement, Jones struck a more conciliatory note, saying that he had personally reached out to apologize to Speaker Gilbert and his family.
“I take full responsibility for my actions, and I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family,” Jones wrote. “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,” he added. His campaign insists that Jones’s apology demonstrates maturity and accountability, but opponents argue that it’s simply too late.
The controversy surrounding Jay Jones’s messages has reignited a broader conversation about political extremism and the degradation of civility in American politics.
Many see the Democrats’ refusal to withdraw their support as evidence of a growing double standard, in which violent or hateful behavior is excused when committed by members of their own party.
Political analysts point out that if a Republican candidate had made similar threats toward a Democrat and their children, the reaction from national media and Democratic leaders would have been swift and unforgiving.
“If the parties were reversed, this candidate would have been gone within hours,” said political analyst Peter Roff. “The fact that leading Democrats are standing by Jones shows how far we’ve fallen in our expectations for public servants.”
The controversy also reflects the deep polarization of modern politics, where loyalty to the party often overrides basic moral standards. The Democratic Party’s decision to continue supporting Jones, even after the publication of his messages, underscores how political calculation frequently trumps accountability.
Public reaction in Virginia has been intense, with many voters expressing shock and disbelief over the revelations. In Norfolk, where Jones previously served as a state delegate, reactions have been mixed.
Some of his longtime supporters say they believe his apology is genuine, while others feel betrayed. “I voted for Jay in the past, but I can’t support someone who talks about killing children,” said Norfolk resident Lisa Thompson. “That’s not a mistake — that’s a sign of who someone really is.”
Meanwhile, Republican voters have seized on the scandal as evidence that Democrats are willing to tolerate violent rhetoric when it comes from their own ranks. “If a conservative had said anything close to this, the left would have demanded their resignation immediately,” said David Clark, a voter from Richmond. “The hypocrisy is just unbelievable.”
With the election fast approaching, the scandal threatens to derail the Democratic campaign in Virginia. Jones’s remarks have cast a shadow not only over his own race but also over the broader Democratic ticket.
His association with gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger and other state Democrats has become a talking point for Republicans, who argue that the party’s leadership has failed to take moral responsibility.
Governor Youngkin and Vice President Vance have both indicated that they will continue to press the issue until Election Day, framing the scandal as a test of the Democratic Party’s values.
“This is about decency,” Youngkin said during a recent press conference. “When someone threatens to harm children, that’s not a partisan issue — that’s a moral issue.”
The unfolding scandal involving Jay Jones has become a flashpoint in Virginia politics, exposing deep moral and political rifts. The revelations about his violent text messages targeting a Republican lawmaker and his family have provoked outrage across party lines.
Yet, the Democratic establishment’s refusal to disavow Jones reveals a troubling pattern of moral relativism that continues to erode public trust in political institutions.
As the election nears, the controversy is likely to dominate headlines and could have far-reaching consequences for the Democratic Party’s prospects in Virginia.
For many voters, the issue is no longer about partisanship but about basic standards of decency, integrity, and the kind of character required to serve in public office.
