The chances of Democrat Jay Jones winning the Virginia attorney general race have dropped by more than 5 points following a text message scandal, according to a new poll.
Jones is up against Republican incumbent Jason Miyares, who has been attorney general in the Old Dominion state since 2022.
Newsweek has contacted the campaign teams for both candidates via email outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
Jones’ chances of winning the gubernatorial race have slipped following the unearthing of text messages sent in 2022 in which he floated a hypothetical scenario about shooting the then-Republican House speaker and wishing harm on his children
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social over the weekend that Jones “should drop out of the Race, IMMEDIATELY,” while GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin labeled the remarks “beyond disqualifying.” Miyares has called on his opponent to step down. State Republicans have also launched new TV ads attacking Jones over his comments.
What To Know
According to polls by The Trafalgar Group, support for Jones has slipped from 48.8 percent in early October to 43.1 percent this week, while support for his opponent Miyares has grown from 45 percent to 48.9 percent.
The first poll was conducted between September 29 to October 1 with 1,034 respondents, while the latest survey had 1,066 respondents and took place between October 8 to October 10.
Jay Jones Texts
Jones had been ahead in the attorney general race when on October 3 the National Review released screenshots of private messages he sent to Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner in 2022. In one of the messages, Jones outlined a hypothetical situation in which then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican, would receive “two bullets to the head.”
He said that in a hypothetical scenario, if given the choice between shooting Gilbert, Cambodian dictator Pol Pot and Adolf Hitler, he would use two bullets to shoot Gilbert. Coyner asked him to “please stop” and “it really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them.”
In another message, he mentioned Gilbert’s wife and children, saying the parents were “breeding little fascists.”
“Like all people, I’ve sent text messages that I regret and I believe that violent rhetoric has no place in our politics,” Jones said. “Let’s be clear about what is happening in the attorney general race right now: Jason Miyares is dropping smears through Trump-controlled media organizations to assault my character and rescue his desperate campaign. This is a strategy that ensures Jason Miyares will continue to be accountable to Donald Trump, not the people of Virginia. This race is about whether Trump can control Virginia or Virginians control Virginia.”
What People Are Saying
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said in an interview with the Washington Times that “Virginians are good and decent people, and they expect their leaders to carry themselves with civility, decorum, and integrity.”
What Happens Next
Virginians will head to the polls to elect the next attorney general, governor, lieutenant governor and the Virginia House of Delegates on November 4.
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