US EditionPressure Mounts on Virginia AG Nominee Jay Jones After Violent 2022 Texts Surface
Jay Jones apologized after violent texts about shooting a Republican leader and wishing harm on his children surfaced, prompting bipartisan calls for him to leave the Virginia AG race.
- On Friday, Jay Jones, Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general, apologized for the 2022 texts, saying he regretted them and took full responsibility, also reaching out to Speaker Todd Gilbert and his family.
- In 2022 Jones accidentally sent the messages to Republican state delegate Carrie Coyner, who shared screenshots of an Aug. 8, 2022 conversation; conservative-leaning media outlet National Review published them on Friday.
- Jones's messages included graphic violent fantasies and a line that reads `Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.`, wishing harm on Gilbert's TWO young children, calling them `little fascists`, and comparing Todd Gilbert to Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot.
- Polls show Jones's lead fell from SIX to ONE after the messages surfaced, triggering bipartisan calls for him to withdraw, with President Donald Trump endorsing Jason Miyares.
- As early voting continues ahead of the November 1 deadline, replacement appears unlikely, and a debate between Miyares and Jones remains scheduled in Richmond on October 16 in this purple state.
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abc10 News
Democrat Jay Jones wins Virginia AG race despite texts endorsing violence
Democrat Jay Jones was elected Tuesday as Virginia attorney general, riding a wave of voter dissatisfaction with the White House to overcome the revelation that in 2022 he sent widely condemned texts embracing violence against a fellow state lawmaker.The former Virginia delegate defeated Republican incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares weeks after it emerged that Jones had texted a fellow delegate suggesting the then-House speaker should get …
Is there such a thing as reverse coattails?
ANALYSIS — Typically, the political law of gravity works one way: from the top down. A strong nominee at the top of the ticket can boost down-ballot candidates, or a weak nominee at the top can make it miserable for the rest of the party slate. But next week’s elections in Virginia are testing whether a race down the ballot could drag down the top of the ticket. If it does, it might be the first diagnosed case of reverse coattails. For months,…
Straight Arrow News
mrc.orgNetwork silence: ABC, CBS, NBC skip Jay Jones text scandal
The Democratic candidate for Virginia’s attorney general race, Jay Jones, is facing scrutiny after text messages from 2022 resurfaced, showing him sending derogatory and violent messages about Republican former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his family. But the story’s reach — and what the public knows about it — depends heavily on which media outlets chose to cover it, and which largely stayed silent. Some text messages included refere…
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