Jay Jones, Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general, has publicly wished for the death of his political opponents and their children. He glaringly lacks the character to be given the job he seeks, but he also lacks the character to do the right thing and withdraw from the election.
Former Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger, Democratic nominee for governor, took a good first step by condemning Jones’s vile public pronouncements, but she should recognize that they are not evidence of a passing spasm of hatred but fit a pattern of behavior that should disqualify Jones from office. Spanberger owes it to voters to make this clear. Otherwise, she will show herself unfit for the job she seeks, too.
The first text Jones sent Republican House Del. Carrie Coyner two years ago, after the death of Virginia Democrat Joe Johnson, appeared to be a mistake. “Damn that was for Mark,” he texted after he first sent Coyner a text complaining about nice things Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert had said about Johnson.
But, undeterred by the realization that he was not speaking to “Mark,” Jones went on to say that if Gilbert died before him, he would “go to their funerals to piss on their graves.” Jones then got into his stride and texted that if he had two bullets and the choice of killing Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, and Gilbert, his decision would be that “Gilbert gets two bullets in the head … he receives both bullets everytime.”
It may seem impossible to escalate that ugly rhetoric, but Jones managed it. He called Coyner to tell her that he wished Gilbert’s wife were forced to watch her own children die in her arms. Disgusted by this extraordinary behavior, Coyner hung up the phone.
Jones could have let the incident end there. But no. He sent more texts to Coyner explaining that his wish to see Gilbert’s children die was justified because “only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
“I mean, do I think Todd and Jennifer are evil? And that they are breeding little fascists?” Jones continued. “Yes.”
Faced with outrage about his disgraceful conduct, Jones did not apologize but shamelessly declared that what he had done was common enough. “Like all people, I’ve sent text messages that I regret,” he said, and he went on to attack President Donald Trump and his opponent, Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares.
It was not until hours later, after Spanberger issued a statement saying Jones “must fully take responsibility for his words,” that Jones issued a second statement saying he was “embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry.” Do you believe him? Does anybody? He seems incapable of shame or sorrow. He is just scrambling to save his political career.
The intensity of Jones’s offenses in a series of texts and a phone call shows that he was not in the grip of an aberrant passion but was expressing himself clearly as a cold and loathsome human being. His texts reflect how he thinks and who he is. He equates Republicans with fascists and wants them to suffer violence.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk and attempted assassinations of Trump and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, plus violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, whom Democrats also call fascists, show that Jones’s words are provocations that should not be given a pass. It will be time enough to forgive Jones when he displays actual contrition by making the personal sacrifice and dropping his bid for elected office. He is asking voters to make him Virginia’s top law enforcement officer. It is an outrageous request. How can the state trust that he will do his duty when he has fantasized about the death of his political opponents?
There is a separate matter of Jones being convicted of reckless driving in 2022. Jones was arrested for driving at 116 miles an hour on Interstate 64, a crime that carries a penalty of 12 months in prison. Jones got off with 1,000 hours of community service, half of which he spent working for his own political action committee. That is not justice. It is arrogance and overweening entitlement.
Spanberger cannot have it both ways, condemning Jones and yet continuing to support his candidacy. His texts, phone calls, and follow-up statements show he should not be allowed anywhere near public office. His reckless driving conviction only adds to the portrait of someone who believes the rules do not apply to him. If Spanberger truly wants to lead Virginia with integrity, she must unendorse Jones now. Voters deserve to know that their governor will reject candidates who embrace threats and lawlessness, not elevate them to the state’s highest offices.
