Jay Jones
WASHINGTON – The Republican Attorneys General Association is demanding Democrat Jay Jones drop out of the race for Virginia Attorney General after his text messages “glorifying political violence” came to light last week.
In a 2022 text message exchange with Republican state Delegate Carrie Coyner, Jones complained how then-Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert was honoring Joe Johnson Jr., a moderate Democratic lawmaker who had died.
“Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” the text reads, referring to Gilbert and the two dictators. The National Review first reported the story. It also said Jones tried to call Coyner after she had objected to the message and went on to text that Gilbert and his wife were “breeding little fascists.”
“The content of Jay Jones’ text messages is abhorrent, but the context makes them worse,” RAGA said in a statement. “Jay Jones sent graphically violent text messages while Republicans and Democrats were eulogizing a former Virginia Delegate, a Democrat known for working across the aisle.
“Jay Jones said if any of the Republicans who were reaching across the aisle died before him, he would ‘go to their funerals to piss on their graves.’ Jay Jones said the Republican Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates is worse than two murderous dictators, Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot. He also said that he hoped the Speaker’s wife would watch her own children die in her arms and further justified his comments about murder because he believed the speaker was raising ‘little fascists.’
RAGA also called on the Democratic Attorneys General Association to withdraw its political and financial support of Jones’ campaign and also has launched a petition to demand Jones withdraw from the race. DAGA has not yet commented on the situation. Jones is running against incumbent Republican AG Jason Miyares.
Jones did issue an apology, admitting to sending the messages and taking “full responsibility” for his actions. He also apologized directly to Gilbert and his family.
“I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family,” Jones said. “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.”
Jones also said Virginians “deserve honest leaders who admit when they are wrong and own up to their mistakes,” calling the texts “a grave mistake” and pledging to “work every day to prove to the people of Virginia that I will fight for them as attorney general.”
Miyares rejected Jones’ apology.
“Jay Jones regrets it only after it endangers his campaign,” Miyares said. “Jay Jones said he would take it back only because that's what he needs to do to try to stay on this ticket.”
Miyares’ campaign also is set to debut a $1.5 million ad campaign focusing on Jones’ texts.
DAGA, which has invested $1 million into Jones’ campaign, recently condemned political violence in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death last month.
“No political violence of any kind can have a place in democratic society, and it must be condemned on all sides,” DAGA said in a statement last month.
While DAGA isn’t commenting on the Jones matter, others have called on Jones to drop out. That includes President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, numerous state and local officials in Virginia including Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Virginia police unions and even MSNBC. And BradyPAC removed Jones from its list of endorsed candidates.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger said she was “disgusted” by the texts, and she said she spoke to Jones about the issue.
“I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words,” Spanberger said in a statement. “As a candidate — and as the next governor of our commonwealth — I will always condemn violent language in our politics.”
