Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, and Democratic challenger Jay Jones clashed Oct. 16 in a tense debate dominated by the scandal surrounding Jones’ violent text messages about a Republican lawmaker.
Leaked 2022 messages revealed Jones joking about shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert and fantasizing about the deaths of another Republican’s children. As CatholicVote reported, in one exchange, Jones mused that if he had two bullets and faced a choice between shooting Gilbert, Adolf Hitler, or Pol Pot, Gilbert “gets two bullets to the head.” He added that if “those guys die before me I will go to their funerals to p**s on their graves.”
In a subsequent phone call, Jones described a scenario in which Gilbert’s children might die in their mother’s arms, saying at one point, “Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
Jones opened the debate with an apology: “Let me be very clear: I am ashamed, I am embarrassed and I am sorry. I am sorry to Speaker Gilbert, I am sorry to his family, and I am sorry to every single Virginian.”
But the apology did little to defuse the controversy. Miyares quickly went on offense, questioning Jones’ fitness for office.
“I find it a little bit stunning that today you say one of the pillars of your public safety platform is protecting children,” Miyares said. “Were you protecting Jennifer’s children, when you said you wanted to see them die in their mother’s arms?”
Miyares asked how anyone in law enforcement, especially those who investigate crimes against children, could take Jones seriously as Virginia’s top prosecutor.
“It’s unconscionable and if you were truly ‘sorry,’ you would not be running for this office,” Miyares added. “You disqualified yourself.”
When the moderator pressed Jones on why voters should trust him after both the texting scandal and a 2022 reckless driving conviction, Jones claimed he had been “held accountable” by his party and pivoted to accuse Miyares of hypocrisy.
“What about when Donald Trump used incendiary language to incite a riot to try to overturn an election here in this country? What about when Winsome Sears used violent language about people who disagree with you and her on your extreme position on abortion? What about when John Reid shared Nazi porn? You haven’t said a word,” Jones said. “I have taken accountability for my mistakes; it’s time you take accountability, too.”
The exchange sparked strong reactions online, with several conservatives applauding Miyares’ performance.
“Tonight’s debate reinforced one thing we already know: Jason Miyares protects Virginians, Jay Jones protects himself,” Republican Virginia State Sen. Glen Sturtevant wrote on X.
Conservative strategist Matt Whitlock said on X that the debate showed that Jones is “violent, dangerous, and maybe a sociopath. He’s also stupid.”
According to prediction market Polymarket, Miyares’ odds of victory climbed to nearly 70% after the debate, while Jones’ fell to 34%.
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