2022 texts with violence involved have come back to haunt him….
And Republicans ARE using them to try to derail his effort to be the Virginia Attorney General from the Democratic side….
Jay Jones, the Democratic Virginia attorney general hopeful whose violence-themed text messages triggered a nationwide GOP backlash, said during a Thursday debate that his messages should not disqualify him from being elected as the state’s top law enforcement official.
“I’m ashamed, I’m embarrassed and I’m sorry,” Jones said Thursday in what will be the only televised debate with incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, who he characterized as a “willing cheerleader” of President Donald Trump.
Jones, again apologized for his 2022 texts that were first reported by the National Review. In the messages, he opined that former Virginia Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert should get “two bullets to the head” and separately that he would urinate on the graves of some state GOP delegates after they died.
In his first extensive comments about the texts, Jones sought to explain his actions as something that he’s already been held accountable for, including by leaders of his party. Jones also said the stakes were too high for Virginia to focus on his past mistakes, and suggested Miyares was playing politics by focusing on his past statements — but not on language by Republicans.
Miyares condemned Jones’ texts and accused the Democrat of being unfit to serve as Virginia’s top lawyer, adding, “Jay Jones is a criminal first, victim last politician.”
“Jay Jones has not had the experience or the judgment to serve as the top prosecutor,” he continued. “We have seen a window to who Jay Jones is and what he thinks that people disagree with him.”
Miyares also slammed Jones for believing laws don’t apply to him — a reference to a recent Richmond Times-Dispatch report reporting that Jones was caught driving 116 mph in a 70 mph zone and struck a deal to forgo jail time by paying a fine and performing community service. He completed some of those hours while working at his own political action committee, the Times-Dispatch also reported…
…
Republican strategists in the state said they have been far more impressed by Miyares’ campaign compared to Earle-Sears at the top of the ticket, whose campaign was plagued by tepid fundraising and staffing shake ups. Trump seems to agree as Miyares is the only of the three statewide GOP candidates that’s received his endorsement.
Jones, a former Virginia state lawmaker, is the son of prominent judges in the state, and had been seen as a potential future governor of the state prior to the unearthing of the texts. Democrats view him as the best candidate to push back against the Trump administration, who they argue has done irrevocable damage to the state, in particular with firings of the federal workforce by the Department of Government Efficiency, which disproportionately impact voters in the northern Virginia suburbs outside the nation’s capital….
Note….
| POLLSTER | DATE |
MIYARES (R)
*
|
JONES (D)
|
SPREAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCP Average | 9/29 – 10/15 | 46.3 | 46.0 |
Miyares+0.3
|
| Trafalgar/InsiderAdvantage | 10/13 – 10/15 | 50 | 45 |
Miyares+5
|
| Cygnal | 10/6 – 10/7 | 46 | 44 |
Miyares+2
|
| Christopher Newport Univ. | 9/29 – 10/1 | 43 | 49 |
Jones+6
|
image…USA Today
per ur request CG…..
them message are hurtin Jones….
Can he recover?
This whole saga is a perfect example of how if the party labels were reversed, both parties would immediately be adapting the other side’s talking points.
He, he, he….
That IS Politics!