Democrat Jay Jones is testing the limits of anti-Trump sentiment in Virginia’s attorney general race, where he is making it clear he sees the president as weighing down Republican Jason Miyares’ reelection bid.
Still reeling from a text message scandal, Mr. Jones is doubling down on anti-Trump messaging in the home stretch of the campaign, wagering that Virginia voters are fed up enough with President Trump’s leadership to forgive him for the violent remarks he made in the past.
“This election, Jason Miyares is the only candidate that has Trump’s complete and total endorsement,” a narrator says in a new Jones campaign ad released Monday. “No one has done more for Trump’s agenda in Virginia than Jason Miyares.”
The ad closes with a blunt warning: “Jason Miyares is Trump’s attorney — not ours.”
Mr. Jones’ renewed emphasis on Trump-centric attacks comes in the wake of revelations that he sent text messages in 2022 to a Republican colleague in the Virginia General Assembly, fantasizing about shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert and making violent remarks about Mr. Gilbert’s family.
The scandal broke in early October, weeks after early voting had begun on Sept. 19 and more than 350,000 ballots had already been cast.
It also came after The Richmond Times Dispatch reported that Mr. Jones was convicted of reckless driving after being clocked at 116 mph on Interstate 64, in 2022. His sentence included a $1,500 fine and 1,000 hours of community service — half of which he reportedly completed through his own political action committee, raising more red flags.
The twin scandals have put the entire Democratic ticket on its heels, and Mr. Miyares has wiped away Mr. Jones’ previous lead in the polls.
Mr. Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, the GOP gubernatorial nominee, have cited Mr. Jones violent texts in attack ads, aiming to rally their base and scare voters away from voting Democrat.
“Jay Jones: Not Fit to Serve as Attorney General,” a Miyares ad says.
Meanwhile, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, has kept Mr. Jones at an arms length, signaling she considers him a liability and emphasizing she is running her own race.
Mr. Jones’ counteroffensive has been twofold: He issued a public apology, saying he is “ashamed” and “embarrassed,” and then quickly pivoted back to Mr. Miyares’ ties to Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump has had a fraught relationship with Virginia. He lost the state in 2016, 2020 and 2024. His administration’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce have bruised Virginia, where more than 140,000 government employees reside.
Polls show Mr. Trump’s approval rating is underwater in the state, whose off-year elections are viewed as a bellwether for the sitting president’s party in the midterm elections.
With that as a backdrop, Mr. Jones repeatedly mentioned Mr. Trump in the attorney general’s debate last week, pledging to make the state office a firewall against the president.
“When Donald Trump fires workers, defunds our schools and levies tariffs that destroy our regional economies, sends armed troops into cities and defunds law enforcement, he has a willing cheerleader here in Jason Miyares, who will not step up to sue,” Mr. Jones said in opening remarks on the debate stage.
“This job right now demands someone who will hold Donald Trump accountable,” he said later in the debate. “For the last nine months, Jason’s had 50 chances to sue the administration, to protect us, to protect our workers, to protect our healthcare, to protect our K-12 funding, funding for law enforcement, and his office hasn’t done a thing because he’s too weak and too scared to stand up for the president.”
In less than 24 hours after the debate, the Jones campaign announced it had raised $500,000.
Speaking to reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One, Mr. Trump referred to Mr. Jones as “an animal who wanted to kill somebody” and “a third-rate intellect.” The president also expressed disbelief that Mr. Jones’ violent text messages hadn’t led to criminal charges.
“I can’t imagine anybody voting for Jay Jones,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “He could join a long list of attorney generals that have been suing and losing.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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