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A series of private text messages from 2022 recently surfaced showing Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones fantasizing about political violence, including writing that former House Speaker Todd Gilbert would “get two bullets to the head.” The messages, first reported publicly this week, read like the ramblings of someone unfit to be the chief law-enforcement officer of the Commonwealth, and they rightly shocked Virginians who want safety, not threats. This is not a flimsy campaign attack; these were direct, personal messages exchanged with a lawmaker that cannot be waved away as a joke.
Jones issued an apology after the texts became public, saying he regretted his words and had reached out to Speaker Gilbert and his family, but the apology rang hollow to many who remember his pattern of reckless behavior. Democrats who had nominated him scrambled to express disgust, but their condemnations have been half-hearted and delayed, revealing a party more interested in winning than in standards. Voters deserve more than performative regret; they deserve real accountability from candidates who aspire to enforce the law.
Incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares reacted exactly as a protector of law and order should: he called Jones’s messages disqualifying and bluntly rejected the notion that a man who fantasized about murdering a political colleague should be entrusted with prosecutorial power. Miyares noted that the attorney general’s job is to prevent violence, not to fantasize about it, and he’s been consistent in demanding accountability rather than spin. Virginians should want an AG who stands up for victims and the rule of law, not someone who once joked about killing a political opponent.
Republicans have moved quickly to make the voters see the stakes, launching a substantial ad campaign around the “two bullets” exchange that puts the contrast in stark terms for voters ahead of Election Day. The GOP’s seven-figure buy is no accident — conservatives smell blood in the water because Jones’s own words are explosive and self-inflicted. When Democrats tolerate this kind of rhetoric from their own, it’s the rest of us who pay the price at school boards, courthouse steps, and on our streets.
The fallout has been bipartisan in condemnation, with media figures and politicians across the spectrum saying what should be obvious: violent talk is unacceptable in a candidate for public office. Even some on the left have called for Jones to step down, underscoring that when private violence talk becomes public, it erodes trust in our institutions and foments a dangerous climate. The silence and equivocation from national Democrats, however, expose a double standard — one rule for their champions and another for everyone else.
This episode is yet another reminder that Democrats too often elevate ideology over character and excuse behavior from their own that they would crucify a conservative for. Hardworking Virginians want leaders who respect human life and who will prosecute criminals, not someone who once fantasized about being part of the violence. Conservatives should be loud and unapologetic about demanding candidates with integrity who will keep families safe and uphold the law without partisan double standards.
Early voting is already underway for the November 4 elections, and this scandal matters in the ballot box — Virginians will have a clear choice between Jason Miyares, a proven law-and-order attorney general, and a Democratic nominee whose private messages reveal a disturbing mindset. Patriots who cherish safety, justice, and decency should rally behind leaders who stand for those values and reject the normalization of violent rhetoric. The Commonwealth’s safety is not a bargaining chip for political ambition; it’s what we fight to protect at the ballot box.
