Democratic Virginia Attorney General candidate Jay Jones is facing calls to withdraw from the race after he sent shocking private messages fantasizing about murdering a Republican lawmaker and wishing death on his family.
According to text messages, Jones — a former Virginia state delegate — told then–House Delegate Carrie Coyner that he wanted to give former Republican Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert “two bullets to the head” and urinate on his grave, Western Journal reported.
The disturbing messages were sent in August 2022, months after Jones left the state house. He is now the Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general, running against Republican incumbent Jason Miyares in November.
The National Review first obtained the content of the texts.
“I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves… [to] send them out awash in something,” Jones allegedly wrote, referring to Gilbert and other Republican colleagues. He added that if given a gun with two bullets and faced with Gilbert and two dictators, “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 texted Coyner.
Coyner urged Jones to stop, “Please stop. It really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them… no matter who they are.” Jones dismissed her concerns, replying “Lol” and “Ok, ok.”
Jones later called Coyner to elaborate on his views, saying that conservative officials like Gilbert should “feel pain personally” in order to change policy. He responded, saying Gilbert’s wife should “watch her child die.”
“Yes, I’ve told you this before,” Jones texted after the call, according to the report. “Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
Coyner confirmed the messages to National Review.
“On August 8, 2022 I had a text conversation with Jay Jones. What he said was not just disturbing but disqualifying for anyone who wants to seek public office,” she said. “Jay Jones wished violence on the children of a colleague and joked about shooting Todd Gilbert. It’s disgusting and unbecoming of any public official.”
The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) quickly condemned Jones in a statement on X, calling on him to exit the race. “Conservatives are being executed for their beliefs, and text messages like these are part of the problem,” said RAGA Executive Director Adam Piper. “Virginia deserves far better.”
Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson also called for Jones to withdraw.
“The Democrat candidate for AG in Virginia has been fantasizing about murdering his political opponents in private messages,” Vance posted on X. “I’m sure the people hyperventilating about sombrero memes will join me in calling for this very deranged person to drop out of the race.”
Johnson echoed that sentiment. “These text messages are plainly disqualifying for anyone who aspires to public office. There is no conceivable justification for wishing violence against a political opponent and their children. Mr. Jay Jones should immediately withdraw his candidacy, save himself and his party from further embarrassment, and take some time to reflect.”
The revelations follow another controversy involving Jones’s 2022 reckless driving case. Miyares said Jones satisfied his sentence by claiming 500 hours of “community service” through his own political action committee — a move that may have violated state law.
“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,” Miyares posted Wednesday.
“This raises serious, troubling questions about Jay Jones’ judgment, his ability to uphold the law, and ultimately, his qualifications for Attorney General,” he added.