The race for Virginia’s attorney general has been thrown into turmoil after a series of disturbing text messages sent by Democratic nominee Jay Jones resurfaced, sparking condemnation from across the political spectrum and igniting fierce debate about the boundaries of political discourse in a deeply divided state.
On August 8, 2022, less than a year after stepping down as a delegate representing Norfolk, Jay Jones sent a string of inflammatory texts to Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner. According to screenshots first reported by National Review on October 3, 2025, Jones’s messages included a chilling hypothetical: “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” The “Gilbert” in question was Todd Gilbert, the former Republican Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Coyner, clearly disturbed, immediately rebuked Jones, texting, “Jay, please stop.” She later told The Progress-Index that the messages were “not just disturbing but disqualifying for anyone who wants to seek public office.” In her words: “Jay Jones wished violence on the children of a colleague and joked about shooting (former Speaker) Todd Gilbert. It’s disgusting and unbecoming of any public official.”
The texts did not stop there. Jones went on to compare Gilbert to Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, notorious for their brutal regimes. He further mused, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.” In another message, Jones referenced Gilbert’s wife and children, writing, “Do I think Todd and Jennifer are evil? And that they’re breeding little fascists? Yes.” Coyner responded, “It really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death upon them.”
The fallout was immediate. Within hours of the story breaking, Jones’s campaign released a statement acknowledging regret: “Like all people, I’ve sent text messages that I regret and I believe that violent rhetoric has no place in our politics.” Yet, Jones also accused his Republican opponent, incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares, of “dropping smears through Trump-controlled media organizations to assault my character and rescue his desperate campaign.” According to Jones, “This race is about whether Trump can control Virginia or Virginians control Virginia.”
Despite the initial defensiveness, Jones later issued a more fulsome apology. In a statement to CBS News on October 4, 2025, he said, “I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family. 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.”
Calls for Jones to withdraw from the race came swiftly from Republicans and some Democrats. Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares labeled Jones “reckless, biased, and willing to trade away his integrity,” adding, “My job is to stop violence, to protect innocent lives, and keep people safe. I cannot imagine someone running for this job who advocates for violence.” The Republican Attorneys General Association, led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, stated, “There is no place for political violence, including joking about it—especially from an elected official. Jay Jones should drop out of the attorney general’s race. His comments are not acceptable from someone who wants to represent law enforcement.”
National figures weighed in as well. Vice President J.D. Vance called for Jones to end his campaign, posting on X, “The Democrat candidate for AG in Virginia has been fantasizing about murdering his political opponents in private messages.” Former President Donald Trump, still a powerful figure in Republican politics, urged Jones to withdraw immediately and endorsed Miyares. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “It has just come out that the Radical Left Lunatic, Jay Jones, who is running against Jason Miyares, the GREAT Attorney General in Virginia, made SICK and DEMENTED jokes, if they were jokes at all, which were not funny, and that he wrote down and sent around to people, concerning the murdering of a Republican Legislator, his wife, and their children… 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—JASON WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger also condemned Jones’s remarks, though she stopped short of calling for his withdrawal. In her October 5, 2025, statement, Spanberger said, “After learning of these comments earlier today, I spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted. I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words. What I have also made clear is that as a candidate—and as the next governor of our commonwealth, I will always condemn violent language in our politics.”
Despite the uproar, some Virginia Democrats have stood by Jones, emphasizing his record and recent contrition. The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee stated, “Jay Jones has taken responsibility, apologized, and shown he is committed to serving with integrity and accountability that his public record already shows. Virginians deserve a leader who learns, grows, and stands for everyday people—and Jay is that leader.”
Jones’s campaign has been a tight contest, with polling showing him neck-and-neck with Miyares as of early October. The timing of the revelations—just weeks before the election—has added a fresh layer of volatility to an already closely watched race. Virginia remains a battleground state, with Democrats narrowly controlling the House of Delegates and the state Senate, while the governor’s mansion is occupied by Republican Glenn Youngkin.
The controversy comes amid a broader climate of political tension and violence in Virginia. Just weeks before the texts surfaced, a man was arrested for threatening Republican Delegate Kim Taylor, saying he planned to kill her over a campaign robotext. The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has also rattled political circles, underscoring the dangers of escalating rhetoric.
Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears echoed the calls for Jones’s withdrawal, declaring, “This is horrible to read and should be wholly disqualifying of someone running for an office that protects the people of Virginia.” She added, “Jay Jones’ horrific comments are a symptom of the entire Democratic Party, and his running mate, Abigail Spanberger, needs to call on him to drop out.”
As the state heads into the final stretch of a heated campaign season, the incident has become a flashpoint for debates about civility, accountability, and the responsibilities of those seeking public office. Both sides agree on one thing: the stakes for Virginia’s future could hardly be higher.
With the election looming and the fallout still unfolding, voters are left to weigh not only the policies and promises of their would-be leaders but also the character and conduct that define them.
