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Former Virginia Rep. Jay Jones's escalating scandal over reports suggesting assassination republican A lawmaker and his little “fascist” children are expected to dominate Thursday's attorney general debate at the University of Richmond.
The tentacles of the scandal have already spread far beyond the House of Spiders, as the President said Donald Trump and Republican leaders across the country seized on messages from Jones, D-Norfolk, and the muted response from fellow Democrats.
The most recent Fox News-endorsed poll, conducted by Christopher Newport University on Oct. 3, before the scandal broke, showed Jones with a six-point lead over Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, with other Democrats on the statewide ticket holding the same lead.
But unofficial data points to a tightening race as Miyares has largely taken over the three-seat Republican ticket while Jones' campaign falters.
Virginia Attorney General candidates Jay Jones and Jason Miyares (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
GOP gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earl-Sears criticized Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger on the issue at their own debate last week in Norfolk, repeatedly asking whether Jones should drop out of the race.
Spanberger has declined to call for his resignation, saying voters should decide, but several voters in the Shenandoah Valley told Fox News Digital they were disappointed she didn't take a stronger stance.
Jones' fellow Democrats have either remained silent or vaguely supported the embattled former Biden administration Justice Department official pursuing his nomination even as polls and public opinion suggest his troubles could drag down the rest of the Democratic ticket.
Top Democrats back Jones despite backlash
Current Speaker of the Virginia House of Representatives Don Scott Jr., a Democrat from Portsmouth, was defiant when he addressed the media after the gubernatorial debate, comparing and contrasting the situation with Trump's own words about Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney facing gunpoint in one of the war zones her neocon position championed.
Senate President L. Louise Lucas, D-Norfolk, and campaign manager Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, later issued a joint statement endorsing Jones and warning that keeping Miyares in office would be even worse.
Meanwhile, Earl-Sears has similar control over the Republican base as Youngkin but continues to trail Spanberger in recent polls. Miyares, however, has now either closed the gap or slightly surpassed Jones – which experts say could help dampen Democratic turnout across the ticket.
Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reed recently posted on social media that he was reportedly trailing within one or two points of his challenger, Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, although the poll numbers he was citing were not immediately verifiable.
Taken together, these signs point to tougher statewide competition in an increasingly blue-leaning Commonwealth.
Virginia's political discontent is changing again
In 2021, Republican Glenn Youngkin won an upset victory over parental rights violations against transgender athletes in school sports. Earl-Sears has since championed the same issue, while also criticizing Democrats for their silence or ambivalence about Jones remaining in the race.
Youngkin's upset over Terry McAuliffe was a standout compared to other recent Virginia races—notably Republican veteran Hong Cao's 20-point loss to Sen. Tim Kaine in the 2024 midterm elections. Kamala Harris also defeated Trump that year.
A decade ago, Republicans still had some presence in densely populated northern Virginia. Then-Prince William County Chairman Corey Stewart, considered a staunch conservative, unsuccessfully sought statewide office but remained in the suburban district's leadership for years.
Although he now opposes Trump's Republicanism, then-Rep. Barbara Comstock was a popular official in the now progressive area of ​​Loudoun County. Delegate Geary Higgins, a Lovettsville Republican, remains the only Republican delegate in the once red district west of Washington. Although he too faces a tough road against Warrenton publican John McAuliffe in November's competition.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin addresses the crowd during an early voting rally on September 21, 2023 in Petersburg, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
During his campaign, Youngkin made repeated trips to southwest Virginia to boost profits in Republican strongholds and boost turnout, a strategy that, combined with support from concerned parents in the Democratic-leaning suburbs of northern Virginia, helped secure his victory.
Jones texts revealed
In messages first published earlier this month, Jones texted Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Hopewell, in 2022, imagining a scenario in which he decided to “fire two bullets” in the head of then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, calling Gilbert worse than dictators Pol Pot or Adolf Hitler.
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Jones also called Gilbert's young children “fascists.”
The revelations have drawn bipartisan condemnation, although Democratic leaders have so far resisted calls – including from Yankee – for Jones to drop out of the race.
