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Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general Jay Jones canceled a fundraiser scheduled for Thursday night in the wake of backlash he has faced over past text messages in which he fantasized about putting “two bullets” in the head of a Republican colleague.
The fundraiser was planned to be held at the home of author David Baldacci, but donors expected to attend reportedly received a memo that their contributions would be refunded since the event will be canceled, a person familiar with the matter told Axios.
The canceled fundraiser suggests the Jones campaign could still be in crisis repair mode after news of his violent rhetoric, which even fellow Virginia Democrats running alongside Jones have condemned. However, those same Virginia Democrats have stopped short of calling for Jones to exit the race.
VIRGINIA AG REVEALS WHAT’S ‘STARTLING’ ABOUT DEM OPPONENT’S TEXTS
Virginia attorney general candidate Jerrauld “Jay” Jones speaks at an event in Norfolk, Virginia. (Trevor Metcalfe/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, in a new campaign advertisement titled “Two bullets,” Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears blasted her Democrat opponent, former Virginia member of Congress from the state’s seventh congressional district, Abigail Spanberger, for failing to explicitly call for Jones to bow out of the race.
“Jay Jones says he wants to put two bullets in a political opponent,” the ad starts out, before pivoting to Spanberger saying, “Let your rage fuel you.” The narrator then comes back and begins citing headlines that “Jones says he hopes an opponent’s children die,” before, again, highlighting Spanberger’s “rage” comments.
“Abigail Spanberger continues to support Jones,” the ad’s narrator continues. “She stands with him, not us.”
DEMOCRATS STAND BY VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL WHO FANTASIZED ABOUT KILLING GOP LAWMAKER
Jones’ opponent, Virginia Attorney General Jason…
