RICHMOND, Va. — Former Democratic Del. Jay Jones and incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares will make their cases tonight on why they should be Virginia’s next top prosecutor – but the debate comes in the middle of a controversy regarding Jones’ texts seemingly threatening violence.
Jones and Miyares are on opposite sides of just about every issue.
Jones has pledged to protect abortion access, crack down on gun violence and “protect” Virginia from President Donald Trump’s policies.
Miyares – who is endorsed by Trump – has taken a tough-on-crime approach as attorney general. He has also been vocal about not permitting transgender children to use bathroom and locker room facilities that align with their gender.
The latest poll by Christopher Newport University put Jones six points ahead of Miyares, a margin one point smaller than their prior poll — but it was taken before Jones’s texts were revealed. Jones's lead is significantly tighter than that of his running mates.
The conservative Trafalgar Group says a recent internal poll shows Jones suffering a dramatic loss in support — with Miyares now leading by five points.
‘Gilbert gets two bullets to the head;’ Jones’ texts stir controversy
Jones came under fire from both sides of the aisle this month after it was revealed that in 2022 he texted a former Republican colleague in the General Assembly that in a hypothetical thought game, he would "put two bullets" in then-Speaker of the House of Delegates Todd Gilbert.
While Jones admitted to sending the texts, President Trump, Vice President Vance and Virginia Republicans immediately called for Jones to exit the race. While condemning the comments, Virginia Democrats have not pushed the issue further.
And there's more: just days before Jones' texts about Gilbert came to light, a reckless driving conviction, also from 2022, came to light.
Jones pleaded guilty to driving 116 mph on Interstate 64 in New Kent County in January 2022 in a 70-mph zone. He was fined $1,500 and sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service. Questions arose when it came to light that 500 of those hours were served at his own political action committee, Meet Our Moment.
Dr. Bob: ‘he’s going to have to fight’
Jones’ texts have made the last few weeks of his campaign “disastrous,” according to WTVR CBS 6 political analyst Dr. Bob Holsworth.
“You have the Vice President talking about it, the President down here talking about it, and Jason Miyares has raised a ton of money to put commercials on for the next few weeks,” Holsworth said.
Holsworth believes the best thing Jones can hope for is that his running mate Abigail Spanberger wins the governor race by double digits, allowing Jones to potentially absorb some of that support.
Hoping for a potentially split ticket, Miyares has taken advantage of the controversy by recently launching ads promoting himself to Spanberger supporters.
Miyares will likely make the debate a contest of fitness for office, according to Holsworth.
“Tonight for Jay Jones, he's going to have to fight,” Holsworth said. “He's really going to have to say, you know, ‘I shouldn't have done this.’”
But Jones cannot be in “apology mode” all night, Holsworth said. He will have to make a case against Miyares as well, possibly by tying him to Trump.
A high-stakes race
The attorney general race is proving to be one of the most watched and important races of the election.
If the results reflect the polls, Miyares could remain in office and be joined by Spanberger and Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi — breaking up what Democrats hoped would be an all-blue ticket.
Through written legal opinions and other actions, Miyares could stall Spanberger and Hashmi’s agendas in office, according to Holsworth.
If Jones wins, as a Democratic attorney general, he could potentially try to shield Virginia from actions by the Trump administration.
Miyares has been active in supporting the Trump administration’s efforts to shake up university leadership in Virginia.
After state Senate Democrats blocked some of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s appointees to the boards of three universities, Miyares sparked a lawsuit by arguing the appointees could remain on the boards.
Local News
Virginia attorney general candidate apologizes for past texts during debate
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