Virginia AG Candidate Jay Jones Faces Calls to Quit Over Violent Texts

Text messages from 2022 attributed to Virginia Democratic AG candidate Jay Jones, first reported by the National Review and widely circulated in news accounts, show him fantasizing about shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert—including the line “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head”—and saying he would attend funerals to “piss” on graves; the messages were reportedly sent to Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner, who confirmed the exchange. The revelations have prompted sharp bipartisan condemnation and calls for Jones to withdraw, with President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the Republican Attorneys General Association and other GOP leaders saying the comments are disqualifying. Republican groups including the RAGA and the Republican State Legislative Campaign Committee have urged a full explanation or immediate withdrawal, while Jones’s opponent Jason Miyares has not commented. Some Democrats have not publicly joined calls for Jones to step aside, and as of these reports Jones has not withdrawn from the race. The episode has intensified scrutiny of Jones’s candidacy and drawn national attention to private texts exchanged during a fraught period after his resignation from the Virginia House of Delegates.