Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general Jay Jones faces renewed backlash over 2022 text messages envisioning violence against a Republican leader and his family, revealed earlier this month. Gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger's campaign continues selling merchandise co-branded with Jones, drawing Republican condemnation. Jones' recent social media post about fatherhood has intensified online outrage.
The scandal erupted earlier in October 2025 when the National Review published text exchanges from August 8, 2022, between Jay Jones and Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner. In the messages, Jones wrote, "Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head," referring to then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert. He added, "Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know, and he receives both bullets every time." Coyner urged him to stop, saying it bothered her when he talked about hurting people or wishing death on them. She later described the comments as "not just disturbing but disqualifying for anyone who wants to seek public office."
Jones acknowledged the texts and apologized in a statement to CBS News: "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." Despite this, Democrats have not withdrawn support. At a Norfolk debate last week, gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger called Jones' comments "absolutely abhorrent" and affirmed, "I have denounced political violence… no matter who is leading the charge."
Spanberger's campaign store, accessed on October 15, 2025, still offers a "Spanberger-Hashmi-Jones logo tee" for $25 and a matching bumper sticker for $10. The Republican Governors Association, supporting Spanberger's opponent Winsome Earle-Sears, criticized this as an endorsement, with rapid response director Kollin Crompton stating, "Jay Jones threatened to murder his political opponent and their children, and Abigail Spanberger still fully endorses him and is trying to make money off it."
Adding to the controversy, Jones posted on X about fatherhood: "As the father of two young boys, I know what it’s like to feel the squeeze of grocery prices every week." Critics, including the Republican Attorneys General Association, highlighted the irony, responding, "As the father of two young boys, you must think anyone who fantasizes about killing children is seriously deranged and unfit for office!" Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, called for Jones to "drop out, dirtbag."
Jones is scheduled to debate incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares on October 17, 2025, at the University of Richmond, where the scandal is expected to feature prominently. Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, Jr., D-Portsmouth, accused Republicans of a "double standard" in their demands for Jones' ouster.