The Old Dominion will soon enter Week 2, roiled by the scandal triggered by Democrat attorney general candidate Jay Jones’ violent texts and phone call from 2022. In those messages, Jones fantasized about “two bullets to the head” to former House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) and his two sons, ages 2 and 5 at the time.
On October 6, Gov. Youngkin (R) posted to his Twitter/X account, “This election is now about so much more than policy. It’s about what kind of Commonwealth we want to be. One ticket is standing behind their running mate, whose twisted, demented desire literally wished death on small children and to put 2 bullets in the head of their father. The other ticket of Winsome Earle-Sears, Jason Miyares, and John Reid will stand tall for you and your children. Virginia, this is the choice. Go vote.”
On October 7, CBS’s Richmond affiliate WTVR reported Youngkin stated Jones’ violent texts were disqualifying and the Virginia Democratic Party needed to do something. “I believe that the entire ticket and Democrat leadership across the state needs to tell Jay Jones to step down from this race in disgrace. And the fact that they haven’t seems to me that they are, in fact, condoning what he said,” the governor explained.
To date, however, only one elected Democrat in the whole state is known to have publicly called for Jones to end his campaign. Ironically, more Democrats called for the resignation of former Democrat Governor Ralph Northam for his racist photo scandal of 2019 than have called for Jones to step down.
It’s unclear how a yearbook photo from 1984, however racist, could cause more offense to some than violent threats against an elected official and his two pre-school-aged children.
In contrast, in the October 9 debate held in Norfolk between gubernatorial candidates Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) and Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears (R), Spanberger refused to call for Jones to leave the race.
The first question in the debate was about the disliked car tax, but Lt. Gov. Sears took her time to ask Spanberger why she hadn’t called on Jones to drop out yet, but Spanberger, with all the coolness one would expect from a former CIA employee, stood silently and ignored Sears’s query.
The moderators promised that Jones’ controversy would be another topic later, and indeed it was.
The moderator asked Spanberger if she would withdraw her endorsement of Jones, but did not hear a clear response, so she asked a second time:
Moderator: “I didn’t hear an answer there on the endorsement issue, [Sears: “exactly”], so I wanted to just make sure, will you continue to endorse Jay Jones to be the next attorney general of Virginia, and were you aware of these text messages before they were released?”
Spanberger: “Uh, in fact, it appears that it was those who released the text messages and held them for years, so the public was unaware who had knowledge of these text messages [overtalking from Sears]. I learned of these text messages the day that they came out, and I denounced them as soon as I learned of them. [Overtalking from Sears]. And importantly, um, at this point as we move forward, the voters now have this information that was withheld from them [casting a sideways glance at Sears] presumably for political reasons. But uh, the voters now have the information, and it is up to voters to make an individual choice based on this information.”
Moderator asking third follow-up: “I understand what you’re saying about the voters, but for you yourself, do you still continue to endorse Jay Jones? Yes or no?”
Spanberger: “I, we are all running our individual races, I believe my opponent has said that about her lieutenant governor nominee [overtalking from Sears], and it is up to every person to make their own decision. I am running my race to serve Virginia, and that is what I intend to do.”
Moderator asking fourth follow-up: “Thank you, Ms. Spanberger, we just want to clarify, what you’re saying is that, as of now, you still endorse Jay Jones as attorney general?”
Spanberger: “I’m saying as of now it’s up to every voter to make their own individual decision. I’m running for governor, I’m accountable for the words that I say [Sears: “She still endorses him.”], for the acts that I take, for the policies that I have put out. I am responsible for the work that I intend to do tirelessly for the people of Virginia.”
In sum, after the moderator calmly but clearly asked four times, Spanberger neither stated her support, withdrew her support, nor called on Jones to drop out.
As explained here, Roanoke-area Democrats Mayor Joe Cobb, Del. Salam “Sam” Rasoul, and delegate candidate Lily Franklin have been silent on Jones’s scandal. Virginia’s two U.S. senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, have not called on him to step down either.
Early voting is now ongoing, and the last day to vote is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
You can watch the exchange here.
Want to find your voting place, dates, and hours? Use this state-run, non-partisan website, elections.virginia.gov, to find it.
– Scott Dreyer
