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Fellow Democrats are standing by Virginia state attorney general candidate Jay Jones, with none calling for him to exit the race despite his horrific text messages which have recently surfaced.
In 2022 text messages to a colleague, Jones said he hoped former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert’s children would die. In a series of messages he doubled down, saying that such grief might be “a good thing” if it advanced his politics. Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger condemned the messages, but stopped short of calling for him to end his campaign.
“I will always condemn violent language in our politics,” Spanberger said, adding that she had spoken “frankly” with him after the texts surfaced.
VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE ONCE REFERENCED PUTTING ‘TWO BULLETS TO THE HEAD’ OF GOP LEADER, TEXTS SHOW
The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee issued a statement affirming its support for Jones, calling for all Virginians to “line up behind” him.
“We are lined up, ten toes down, ready to organize, mobilize and deliver voters for Jay and our entire Democratic ticket,” the statement read. “Recent press may have spotlighted past mistakes. We say, let those without sin cast the first stone. Jay Jones has taken responsibility, apologized and shown he is committed to serving with integrity and accountability that his public record already shows.”
Meanwhile, Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears sharply criticized Jones over the weekend, saying that his recently published 2022 text messages raise serious questions about his fitness for office.
Republican Jason Miyares said he was alarmed by reports of Jay Jones recklessly endangering lives. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“Jay Jones has shown he’s reckless, biased, and willing to trade away his integrity,” Miyares wrote in an open letter to Virginians, posted to social media late Saturday. “This conduct is…
