Virginia Democratic AG nominee embroiled in violent text scandal
Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general, is facing intense scrutiny over text messages from 2022 that advocated for the assassination of a Republican political opponent and his family. Major Sunday political talk shows largely ignored the controversy, with no hosts raising the issue despite its viral spread. Republicans, including President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, have called for Jones to drop out of the race.
The scandal erupted when text messages sent by Jay Jones in 2022 surfaced publicly less than 48 hours before the major Sunday morning political talk shows aired. In those messages, Jones targeted former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R-VA), writing, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” He added, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”
Other texts escalated the rhetoric, with Jones claiming Gilbert would not alter his positions unless he and his wife witnessed one of their children die. He also stated he would attend funerals of Republican lawmakers to “piss on their graves.”
Despite the gravity of the messages, none of the national Democratic figures condemned Jones or urged him to withdraw from the race against Republican incumbent Jason Miyares. This silence extended to the Sunday shows: ABC's "This Week," CBS's "Face the Nation," NBC's "Meet the Press," and CNN's "State of the Union" saw no hosts question guests about the scandal.
The issue arose only once, on "Meet the Press," when guest Marc Short, former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, raised it during a panel. “This week it came to light that a Democrat candidate for attorney general in the state of Virginia called for the assassination of a political opponent, called for the assassination of that political opponent’s family, and there’s not one national Democrat calling for him to step aside — not one! It’s disgraceful,” Short said. Host Kristen Welker acknowledged it might grow into a bigger story but pivoted to Neera Tanden, a former Biden White House official, who responded, “I mean, I absolutely think people should criticize that, 100%... I think it was a private conversation he had, but still awful and disgusting … it should be condemned.” Short reiterated, “The fact that not one Democrat has stood up when he called for a political assassination in this moment of political violence is crazy.”
Vice President JD Vance highlighted the disparity on October 4, 2025, tweeting, “The Democrat candidate for AG in Virginia has been fantasizing about murdering his political opponents in private messages. I’m sure the people hyperventilating about sombrero memes will join me in calling for this very deranged person to drop out of the race.” President Trump echoed the call, demanding Jones exit “immediately” and endorsing Miyares, describing the texts as “SICK and DEMENTED jokes... concerning the murdering of a Republican Legislator, his wife, and their children.”
In Virginia, Senate President pro tempore Louise Lucas condemned the rhetoric but defended Jones's candidacy. “There is no place for political violence or violent rhetoric in our public discourse, and Jay must take accountability for his actions. But we will not allow this moment to overshadow the stakes of this election. … The choice before us is far bigger than this mistake,” she stated.
The controversy underscores tensions in the tight Virginia attorney general race, with no Democrats nationally distancing themselves from Jones as of the latest reports.