The Virginia attorney general debate Thursday night at the University of Richmond was dominated by controversy surrounding Democrat nominee Jay Jones and the resurfacing of violent text messages he sent in 2022 about Republican leaders.

Jones, a former delegate from Norfolk, has faced bipartisan criticism since the Richmond Times-Dispatch revealed text messages he sent to former Republican delegate Carrie Coyner in August 2022.

In the messages, Jones fantasized about killing then–House Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican, and referenced the deaths of Gilbert’s children.

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The messages, which circulated online last month, have shadowed his campaign and prompted widespread calls for him to withdraw from the race.

During the debate, Jones addressed the messages directly and repeated an apology. “I am ashamed, I am embarrassed, and I am sorry,” Jones said.

“I’m sorry to Speaker Gilbert. I’m sorry to his family. I’m sorry to my family. And I’m sorry to every single Virginian.”

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Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, seeking reelection, responded sharply, saying Jones’s apology came only after public exposure of the texts.

“And right now you may say that you are sorry, but look at back at what happened,” Miyares said.

“You had three years to say you are sorry, Jay, and you didn’t. Three years to actually recognize what you did was horrific. You chose to stay silent.”

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Miyares continued, “Carrie Coyner called you out then, you doubled down. It was after she called you out for these text messages that that is when you said you advocated for violence against children. And when this became public, we now know your first statement wasn’t saying ‘I’m sorry.’ The words ‘I’m sorry’ wasn’t even in your statement. It was to say we all send text messages we regret.”

He added that Jones’s comments were especially troubling given the position he is seeking.

“I find it a little bit stunning that today you say one of the pillars of your public safety platform is protecting children. Were you protecting Jennifer’s children when you said you wanted to see them die in their mother’s arms?” Miyares said, referring to Gilbert’s wife.

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Miyares, who has served as Virginia’s attorney general since 2022, questioned how Jones could lead an office tasked with prosecuting crimes against children.

“How can anybody who’s ever worked in any of the crimes against children, all of the areas of federal and state local law department, how can they ever take you seriously, be the top prosecutor, knowing that you view that children should die to advance a political agenda?” he said.

“It’s unconscionable, and if you were truly ‘sorry,’ you would not be running for this office — because you disqualified yourself.”

Close

In another exchange later in the debate, Miyares said Jones still failed to grasp the real-world impact of his words.

“He keeps saying that he is sorry. Jay, if you’re really sorry, you wouldn’t be running,” Miyares said.

“If you really understood the ramifications of what you said about an innocent mom and her children. You know Todd Gilbert. You served with him. Jennifer would come to the General Assembly. She would bring her children. We would see them run in the hallways. They were two and five years old at the time. This wasn’t a hypothetical. This wasn’t some figure that you know from far away. You actually know Todd. This is a flesh and blood, real husband. Jennifer is a real mom. These are real kids.”

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Miyares told the audience that such comments disqualify Jones from serving as the state’s top law enforcement officer.

“How in the world could you ever show compassion and comfort a grieving mother that has ever lost a child of violence, because Virginians, there is no cry, like the cry of a mother that has lost her child. A prosecutor knows this because they’ve stood in that courtroom. Jay Jones had never understood this because he’s not a prosecutor, he’s a politician trying to save his career,” Miyares said.

The incumbent attorney general also criticized Jones’s legislative record, calling him “a criminal-first, victim-last politician.”

He cited multiple votes by Jones that he said favored leniency for offenders over justice for victims.

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Jones, who served in the House of Delegates from 2018 to 2021, apologized again after the debate but maintained that he would not withdraw from the race.

He said he hoped voters would accept his apology and judge him by his “record of service.”

Miyares is seeking a second term as attorney general after being elected in 2021.

The general election is scheduled for November.

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