Jay Jones Shocks Nation: Overcomes Leaked Texts Scandal to Crush Jason Miyares in Virginia AG Upset
By Elena Vasquez, Political Correspondent Richmond, VA – November 5, 2025
The Associated Press called the race at 9:28 p.m. ET, with Jones surging to a 52%-47% victory — a 5-point margin that defied pre-election polls showing a dead heat amid the October text message bombshell. In a statehouse ballroom thrumming with cheers, Jones, 36, the former Norfolk delegate and first Black attorney general in Virginia history, raised his fists triumphantly. “Tonight, Virginians rejected fear and embraced justice,” he declared, his voice steady despite the ordeal. “We’ve proven that accountability isn’t just for our opponents — it’s for all of us.” Flanked by supporters and family, Jones’s win capped a Democratic trifecta, pairing with Abigail Spanberger’s gubernatorial landslide and Ghazala Hashmi’s lieutenant governor upset, handing the party full control of Richmond for the first time since 2013.
The scandal that nearly derailed him erupted on October 4, when anonymous screenshots surfaced on a conservative blog, revealing 2022 texts Jones sent to GOP Del. Carrie Coyner amid legislative frustrations. In one, Jones vented about then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert: “I’d rather put two bullets in his head than let one go to waste on Hitler or Pol Pot.” The messages, exchanged during a heated gun control debate, painted Jones as unhinged, sparking immediate bipartisan revulsion. Republicans pounced: Incumbent Miyares, 50, a Trump ally and Cuban-American former prosecutor, condemned it at a Richmond presser as “beyond disqualifying,” launching a $7 million ad blitz framing Jones as a “violent radical.” President Trump amplified on Truth Social: “Radical Left Lunatic Jay Jones made SICK jokes about murdering a Republican legislator and his family. Drop out IMMEDIATELY! Jason Miyares has my Complete Endorsement.”
The firestorm engulfed Virginia’s races. Gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger distanced herself in an October 8 debate, refusing to endorse Jones outright: “Voters decide.” Even Obama, stumping for Democrats on November 1, omitted Jones from his Norfolk rally remarks, fueling whispers of party abandonment. A Washington Post/Schar poll October 23 showed Miyares up 46%-44%, with 51% of voters demanding Jones drop out. Insiders buzzed: “He’s finished,” one Democratic strategist leaked to Politico. Smears escalated: Fox News looped the texts; NRSC ads tied Jones to “Biden’s crime wave.” Miyares, touting his fentanyl crackdowns and gang prosecutions, surged in rural areas, where he led 62%-37%.
Jones fought back with raw accountability. In their October 16 University of Richmond debate — the only face-off — he apologized unreservedly: “I’m ashamed, embarrassed, and sorry. Those words came from a dark place during a dark time, but they don’t define me.” He pivoted to Miyares: “You’ve been silent on Trump’s incendiary rhetoric — January 6, threats against judges. Where’s your accountability?” The exchange, viewed 8 million times on YouTube, humanized Jones, boosting his favorables by 7 points per a Roanoke College snap poll. His campaign, fueled by $4.2 million from AG PACs post-scandal, aired response ads: “I owned my mistake. Jason owns his silence.” Turnout in Norfolk and Richmond — Democratic strongholds — spiked 24%, with Black voters breaking 88%-11% for Jones.
The upset’s anatomy? Backlash against conservative overreach, amplified by the shutdown. Furloughed federal workers — 400,000 in Virginia — blamed Miyares’s GOP allies, with 71% citing the impasse in exit polls. Miyares’s Trump fealty — defending Project 2025 and echoing “stolen election” claims — alienated moderates in Fairfax and Loudoun, where Jones led 58%-41%. Women, key to Spanberger’s win, swung 59%-40% against Miyares, per Edison Research. “Scandals don’t stick when voters see hypocrisy,” said Democratic pollster Margie Omero. “Jones owned it; Miyares dodged.”
Washington’s meltdown is palpable. Trump raged on Truth Social: “Rigged! Jones’s violent past exposed — yet he steals the seat. Virginia gone mad!” House Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “dark day,” while NRCC strategists leaked panic memos: “If Miyares falls after that gift, 2026 is a bloodbath.” A Post strategist quipped anonymously: “Virginia’s flip after the mess? No Republican safe.”
Jones’s win — first Black AG in Virginia — symbolizes integrity’s resilience. As he prepares January 15 inauguration, pledging probes into opioid profiteers and voting rights, the question lingers: Victory for accountability, or scandals’ impotence? In polarized America, both ring true. The shockwaves? Undeniably real — a blue wave’s harbinger for midterms.
