Jay Jones, the embattled Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general, is projected to defeat incumbent Republican Jason Miyares. Decision Desk HQ made the call at 8:26 p.m. ET. Jones is leading with 51.4 percent to 48.2 percent with 77 percent of the expected votes in.
Jones is expected to prevail despite a myriad of scandals in recent months. The race was considered one of the more competitive statewide contests in Virginia this cycle, but it was roiled in its final stretch by resurfaced violent texts sent by Jones in 2022 about then-state House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R). “Three people, two bullets,” Jones wrote in a text to Del. Carrie Coyner (R) about Gilbert. “Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot,” Jones wrote. “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time,” Jones told Coyner. Coyner, in response, told Jones, who at the time did not hold an elected office, to stop. Jones apologized for the texts, but Republicans from Miyares to President Trump used the scandal to attack the Democrat throughout the final month of the campaign.
Jones also faced heavy criticism for a prior conviction of reckless driving after being caught going 116 mph on Interstate 64 in New Kent, Virginia. “Jay Jones was convicted of reckless driving after speeding at 116 mph. The job of attorney general is too important to leave to someone who would recklessly break the law and endanger the lives of others, and then mislead the Courts and the public by claiming he performed community service while working on his own political operation,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said. “We need to get to the bottom of what Jay Jones was actually up to, but it’s clear he cannot be Virginia’s top cop,” he added.
In addition, Jones faced accusations of calling for cops to be killed in order to stop them from shooting people. After the allegation surfaced, The Fraternal Order of Police of Virginia sent a letter to Jones calling for him to drop out. Finally, Jones received scrutiny for footage that appeared to show him attempting to kick a dog on Election Day. In the viral clip, Jones appeared to do a kicking motion while having an interaction with a dog caught on film. Viewers questioned if Jones attempted to kick the dog.
With Jones projected to become attorney general, Democrats swept the three high-profile statewide elections in Virginia Tuesday evening. In Virginia’s closely watched gubernatorial race, Democrats appear to have benefited from a small but decisive bloc of voters who harbor unfavorable views of both major political parties. That Democratic advantage there among disaffected voters mirrors trends seen in other contests Tuesday, including the New Jersey governor’s race and the New York City mayoral election.
In Virginia, 41% of voters said that they had a favorable view only of the Democratic Party, and another 41% favorably viewed only the Republican Party. But 10% said they viewed neither party favorably. Among that group, 72% backed Democrat nominee Abigail Spanberger over Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, who drew just 23%.