Democratic candidate for Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones is facing scrutiny after text messages from 2022 surfaced in which he allegedly made violent threats against Republican colleagues, including former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert.
The texts were reported Friday by National Review, which said it obtained the messages from Jones’ former colleague, Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner.
According to the report, Jones sent multiple messages to Coyner in August 2022, months after leaving the Virginia House of Delegates, in which he expressed violent intentions toward Gilbert.
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“I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves … [to] send them out awash in something,” Jones wrote, according to National Review.
Jones reportedly went further, writing that if he were faced with Gilbert and two dictators along with a gun containing two bullets, “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”
In another message, he told Coyner, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”
Coyner pushed back in the exchange, asking Jones to stop.
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“It really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them … no matter who they are,” she wrote, according to the outlet.
Jones allegedly responded with “Lol” and “Ok, ok.”
The private messages offer a disturbing glimpse into how Jones — who is looking to oust incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares this fall — describes his political adversaries in private conversations. pic.twitter.com/vvbtcn4vIQ
— National Review (@NRO) October 3, 2025
The texts have become a significant issue in Jones’ campaign against Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares ahead of Virginia’s November general election.
Jones, however, issued a statement to WTVR Richmond, where he did not deny sending the texts but blamed the controversy on what he called “Trump-controlled media.”
“Like all people, I’ve sent text messages that I regret and I believe that violent rhetoric has no place in our politics,” Jones said.
He accused Miyares of “dropping smears through Trump-controlled media organizations to assault my character and rescue his desperate campaign.”
According to National Review, after the 2022 text exchange, Jones also called Coyner and reportedly said that Republican officials such as Gilbert should “experience pain” so that it would result in policy changes.
He allegedly suggested that Gilbert’s wife should witness her child die.
Coyner later confirmed the text exchange in a statement to the outlet, saying, “What he said was not just disturbing but disqualifying for anyone who wants to seek public office.”
Jones’ remarks drew condemnation from both Republicans and Democrats.
Former Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger, now the Democratic nominee for Virginia governor, told WJLA that she spoke to Jones after the story surfaced and told him “that he must fully take responsibility for his words.”
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She is “disgusted” and claims she has “made it clear” that she “condemns violent language”.
REALLY ABBY?
Your stump speech is calling… pic.twitter.com/MJE0bzfJeh
— Walter Curt (@WCdispatch_) October 3, 2025
The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) called on Jones to withdraw from the race.
In a statement posted on X, Executive Director Adam Piper said, “Conservatives are being executed for their beliefs, and text messages like these are part of the problem. Virginia deserves far better.”
RAGA’s official statement on Jay Jones’ text messages: pic.twitter.com/LeRQTp3c2V
— RAGA (@RepublicanAGs) October 3, 2025
Jones’ campaign has already faced controversy over unrelated issues.
In 2022, he served a sentence for reckless driving in Virginia, fulfilling community service hours through his own political action committee.
Miyares criticized the move in a recent post on X, saying Jones attempted to avoid jail time by counting work for his PAC as community service.
“This raises serious, troubling questions about Jay Jones’ judgment, his ability to uphold the law, and, ultimately, his qualifications for Attorney General,” Miyares wrote.
Instead of taking accountability for his actions, it appears that my opponent submitted a letter to the Court stating that he performed 500 hours of ‘community service’ for his own PAC, which isn’t a charitable organization under state code, to dodge potential jail time.
This… https://t.co/WoVE8wz9Oq
— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) October 1, 2025
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Jones, who lost the Democratic primary for attorney general in 2021, won his party’s 2025 primary in June and is set to face Miyares in November.
The emergence of the messages and the renewed focus on his past conduct have added new challenges to his campaign as the general election approaches.
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Jay Jones is a grifter. He has never held an honest job in his life. He is a priveleged person. His parents were both judges, his grandparents on both sides were a lawyer/judge, a teacher, and professors, all activists. So, he was raised and surrounded by people who never held an honest job. He is, was, and believes he should be entitled. His posts, repeated and elaborated, show his character. They display who he really is, unmasked. They are not abberations and, I am sure, his only regret about them is that they have surfaced and impact him negatively. This is a man who should never hold the reins of power and authority because he will use them for his own benefit. Sadly, as a Democrat, his peers will rally around him, make excuses, and divert attention from the posts. Republicans would hold him accountable and wouldn’t vote for him. Dems, well, this sort of thing is a career enhancement for them.