Democrat Jay Jones Wins Virginia Attorney General Race
Democrat Jay Jones narrowly won the race for Virginia attorney general Tuesday night over Republican incumbent Jason Miyares, according to various media reports.
The race was called nearly three hours after polls closed in Virginia at 7 p.m., with more than 80 percent of votes counted. The race was extremely close, with Miyares just a few points away from retaining his position. By the time NBC News called the race with 85 percent of votes counted, Jones was ahead 52 percent to 47.5 percent.
Jones’ projected victory comes after a race largely characterized by a scandal involving text messages from 2022 showing Jones fantasizing about Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his children being shot.
The texts have been a major flashpoint, as Republicans have pressured Democrats to revoke their support for Jones and disavow his violent rhetoric, particularly in the wake of the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Ultimately, Democrats refused to hold Jones accountable for his fantasies about killing a Republican and his children.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, who was also declared the winner of her race, notably refused to revoke her support for Jones after his texts surfaced.
Jones saw a much narrower path to victory than Spanberger, who beat Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by more than ten points. Overall, more than 1.5 million Virginia voters cast ballots for Jones, while nearly 1.7 million voted for Spanberger.
President Donald Trump had endorsed Miyares in the race. At the time of his endorsement, Trump called on Jones to “get out of the race” because of his violent text messages.
Miyares said at the time that Jones had “shown himself to be reckless, biased and willing to abandon his integrity,” and called his conduct “disqualifying.”
“The attorney general is Virginia’s chief law enforcement officer,” Miyares said. “This authority must always be exercised with neutrality, integrity and character – because that is the only way every Virginian can trust the system that is supposed to protect them. With recent revelations, it is clear that Jay Jones has shown himself to be reckless, biased and willing to abandon his integrity, thereby disqualifying himself from the office of Attorney General.”
“As a former prosecutor and current attorney general, I have dealt with crying victims and grieving families,” Miyares continued. “There is no sound more haunting than the screams of a parent who has lost a child. I have seen their pain, held their hands, and witnessed the devastation that violent crime leaves behind. Absolutely no one, least of all a candidate for Virginia’s highest police office, should ever treat that pain as a political tool.”
“Before this week, this race was about divergent views on public safety,” Miyares added at the time. “This is now a question of basic fitness for public office.”
