DNC Chair Says Voters Have Forgiven Jay Jones for Violent Texts, but Polls in Virginia AG Race Say Otherwise
Most Virginians have “accepted an apology” from state attorney general candidate Jay Jones for his violent and disturbing threats against a Republican lawmaker, a top Democrat said. However, recent polls and betting odds cast doubt on this claim.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin said in an interview published Friday in Policy that Jones’ violent 2022 texts about the murder of Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert were “reckless and unacceptable.”
However, he also said Virginia voters are forgiving.
“I believe most Virginians have accepted this apology and will elect Jay Jones as their next attorney general,” Martin predicted.
Recent polls tell a different story.
A poll released this week by the Trafalgar Group showed a decline in support for the Democratic candidate, with Jones now enjoying the support of just 43 percent of voters, down from nearly 49 percent earlier in the month, according to the Hill.
In turn, his Republican opponent, Jason Miyares, received a major boost, with support up nearly 4 percent, from 45 percent to 48.9 percent.
While some media outlets refer to Trafalgar as a “right-wing” or “right-wing” polling group, other measures also appear to argue that Jones was harmed by news of his violent texts, which were first revealed in early October by the National Review.
News week reported this week that Jones’ winning odds have dropped on betting sites, which can often predict outcomes. According to the news magazine:
Jones had a 53 percent chance of winning according to Polymarket odds as of October 7, but that figure has steadily declined since. As of Thursday, Miyares had a 68 percent chance of winning, while Jones had about a 33 percent chance of winning.
Kalshi’s betting odds told a similar story, favoring Jones all year until the texting scandal broke. This gave Jones between an 80 and 99 percent chance of winning throughout the summer. But this was reversed on October 5. As of Thursday, Miyares had a 62 percent chance of winning, while Jones had just a 38 percent chance in the market.
At a minimum, the race has tightened to a stalemate, according to Jones’ own poll reported by the Hill.
Overcoming disturbing texts can be a daunting task.
“Jones, then a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, wrote in a 2022 text message to Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner: ‘Three people, two bullets Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot Gilbert gets shot twice in the head Spoiler: put Gilbert on the crew with the two worst people you know and he gets both bullets every time.'” News week declared.
“I’m ashamed, I’m embarrassed and I’m sorry,” Jones said Thursday during a televised debate with outgoing Attorney General Miyares.
“He took responsibility for what he said and he apologized to the former president and Virginians,” DNC Chairman Martin said. Policy. “I believe in free and fair elections, and it’s the voters of Virginia who will have to make that decision… Virginians will make the final decision on who they want to be their next attorney general.”
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times bestseller House of secrets and nine other mystery novels and non-fiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more information.
