Democrat Jay Jones won Virginia’s race for attorney general, NBC News projected, prevailing in spite of a scandal over leaked text messages that showed Jones fantasized about killing a Republican lawmaker and his family — remarks that rocked the final weeks of the campaign and drew condemnation from both sides of the aisle, though few calls from fellow Democrats for Jones to to drop out.
Jones’ victory Tuesday was one of the most closely watched of the night, with analysts looking to see whether Virginia Democrats would split their ticket given the violent texts. In the end, any ticket splitting was minimal. Tuesday capped a tumultuous final month that saw national Republican condemnation, Democratic hesitation and equivocation, and a barrage of attack ads. Yet voters delivered him a narrow win — a 3 point margin with 85 percent of the vote counted — over Republican incumbent Jason Miyares, who had served in the role since 2022.
The controversy that blew open a typically staid attorney general race stemmed from 2022 messages Jones sent to Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner. In the texts, he imagined a hypothetical scenario where, given two bullets and the option of shooting Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot or then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, he’d choose Gilbert — twice. He also referred to Gilbert and his wife as “breeding little fascists.”
Jones admitted to sending the messages after National Review published screenshots in early October. “I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry,” he said in a statement. “I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and offer my sincere apology.” He later said he had reached out to Gilbert’s family to apologize directly.
The scandal engulfed the race almost immediately. Miyares’ campaign responded with aggressive attack ads, and national Republicans joined in. President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and House Speaker Mike Johnson all called for Jones to withdraw. The Republican Governors Association funneled more than $1.5 million into Virginia down-ballot races to support Miyares and tie Jones to other Democrats.
Debate Dominated by Scandal and Sharp Exchanges
At their only debate on Oct. 16 at the University of Richmond, the text scandal took center stage. Miyares opened by quoting Abraham Lincoln: “Character is what you do in the dark when no one is watching. But now we know what he [Jones] was doing in the dark.”
Jones again apologized at the debate, saying, “Let me be very clear. I am ashamed, I am embarrassed and I’m sorry.” But he pushed back on the framing, citing examples of violent rhetoric from the right, including from Trump.
“What about when Donald Trump used incendiary language to incite a riot to try to overturn an election here in this country?” Jones asked. “You haven’t said a word. I’ve taken accountability for my mistakes. It’s time you take accountability, too.”
Jones also sought to draw distinctions on policy. “Jason hangs out with Donald Trump at MAGA rallies,” he said. “I will see Jason Miyares and Donald Trump in court as your next attorney general.”
The two clashed over law enforcement credentials and public safety. Miyares referenced a Richmond Times-Dispatch report of a Virginia trooper clocking Jones at 116 miles per hour, framing him as unfit to enforce the law. Jones was convicted of reckless driving in that case and was sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service. He reportedly served half those hours with his own political action committee.
For his part, Jones cited his record in the Virginia House on human trafficking legislation and his work against ghost gun manufacturers in the D.C. attorney general’s office.
When asked whether the attorney general should act more as a legal or political officer, Jones leaned into the activist role: “That’s exactly why we have to hold the president accountable, go after Donald Trump and the bad actions of this administration.”
Miyares countered, “Jay Jones wants fights in Washington. He’s running for the wrong office.”
From Political Collapse to Comeback
Polling after the scandal showed steep erosion in Jones’ support. A Washington Post–Schar School poll conducted before the texting story showed Jones up by six points. A week later, internal surveys showed a statistical tie. Republican-backed polling had him under 44 percent.
In the end, Jones was lifted to victory on the back of a strong performance from the top of the Democratic ticket. Abigail Spanberger soundly defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, who was ahead by 11 points with 70 percent of the vote in. Spanberger condemned Jones’ texts but did not call on him to drop out of the race, a position taken by other Democrats when asked about Jones.
Jones, whose campaign leaned heavily on resistance to Trump — was also helped by the state’s lengthy early voting process. More than 350,000 votes had been already been cast by the time Jones’ texts were leaked, cushioning some of the blow.
“In these partisan times, many people are willing to forgive a great deal from politicians on their team and forgive nothing from people on the other team,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington.
At one points, the fallout from the texts threatened to subsume the governor’s race. During a televised debate, Earle-Sears pressed Spanberger to disavow Jones. “What if he said it about your three children?” she asked in a back-and-forth that went viral. Spanberger called the messages “abhorrent” but stopped short of withdrawing support, saying voters should decide.
Ultimately, Jones survived — but not unscathed. He enters the attorney general’s office under a cloud of scrutiny, even among his allies.
“It’s going to be an awfully painful four years,” said J. Miles Coleman, associate editor at Sabato’s Crystal Ball. “He will enter office with a cloud of controversy hanging over him.”
