Virginia Democrats are publicly standing by commonwealth attorney general candidate Jay Jones — despite his texts fantasizing about murdering the Republican former state House speaker and forcing his wife to watch her children die — but some in the party are quietly worrying that the refusal to dump him will hurt them in November.
“If I was a Democrat running for governor in Virginia or lieutenant governor, I would criticize him and separate myself from him as quickly as possible, because what he said was deplorable and reprehensible,” Democratic strategist Brad Bannon told The Post.
“They should avoid Jay Jones like the plague.”
Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, has criticized Jones’ comments, but neither withdrawn her support nor called on him to drop out.
“After learning of these comments earlier today, I spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted,” Spanberger said in a statement last week.
“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 the next Governor of our Commonwealth, I will always condemn violent language in our politics.”
Other state Dems have doubled down on their support for Jones while the likes of Sen. Tim Kaine have dismissed the vile messages as a momentary lapse in judgement.
“The comments are completely indefensible,” Kaine told CNN Monday evening. “I’ve known Jay Jones for 25 years and those comments are very much out of character for him. So if I put the comments, which are clearly beyond the pale, against knowing this guy for 25 years, I’m still supporting Jay Jones.”
That same day, new allegations emerged that Jones stated in 2020 that if more cops were killed in the line of duty “they would move on, not shooting people, not killing people.”
Jones has denied making that statement.
“This idea that the current political situation justifies violence or violent means is a dark and absurd position – this idea that we must resort to violence if we don’t get our way politically,” said a former Virginia Democratic state lawmaker who asked not to be named, citing the ongoing campaign.
“If people don’t believe in that, they clearly don’t believe in democracy.”
Even lefty MSNBC host Joe Scarborough told viewers Monday morning that Jones “probably should be forced to withdraw from the race” over his comments.
Jones has been under fire since his disturbing Aug. 8, 2022, text messages to Republican delegate Carrie Coyner were leaked to National Review.
In the messages, Jones likened then-Republican state House Speaker Todd Gilbert to mass-murdering dictators Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot.
“Three people, two bullets,” read one message. “Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot.”
“Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones continued, later adding: “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”
Coyner told National Review that Jones went on to fantasize about Gilbert’s children – to whom Jones referred as “little fascists” in the text thread – dying in the arms of their mother, so that Gilbert might change his political positions.
The GOP delegate added that Jones is “not qualified to serve” – before coming forward with Monday’s allegations that he disparaged police officers.
Coyner told the Virginia Scope website that during a 2020 conversation about qualified immunity, she told Jones that without the controversial legal protection, police officers would get killed.
“Well, maybe if a few of them died, that they would move on, not shooting people, not killing people,” The lawmaker described Jones’ comment in response.
Jones, who previously supported bills to remove qualified immunity while he was still a member of the House of Delegates, denied the allegation – telling the outlet, “I did not say this. I have never believed and do not believe that any harm should come to law enforcement, period.”
The two latest polls in Jones’ race against Republican incumbent Jason Miyares were conducted before the scandal broke, and both show the Democrat with a narrow six-point lead over Miyares.
Miyares dropped a stinging ad about the scandal on Monday, describing Jones’ texts as “so disgusting” that it’s “hard to believe.”
“But it’s true,” the narrator says in the ad. “Jay Jones confirmed that he hoped an opponent’s children could die to advance his political agenda. Can you trust Jay Jones to protect your children?”
Meanwhile, Virginia’s Fraternal Order of Police sent the Jones campaign a letter Monday night arguing that the candidate’s conduct “has no place in our society or democracy,” and demanding that he drop out of the race “immediately.”
“[T]he members of the Virginia Fraternal Order of Police believe that you, Jay Jones, are unfit for the office of Attorney General of Virginia,” Virginia FOP President Ray Clemons wrote. “It is time you hold yourself accountable for these actions and withdraw from the attorney general race immediately.”
Jones’ campaign did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
