Democrats stand by Virginia AG hopeful who fantasized about killing GOP lawmaker

Top Democrats are refusing to abandon Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones despite a report revealing that he wished death on a Republican colleague. 

Days after a bombshell National Review report exposed text messages in which Jones fantasized about shooting a Republican colleague in the head and harm coming to his children in 2022, Fox News Digital reached out to top Democrats who endorsed Jones and inquired whether their endorsements stand.

Dem. Sen. Cory Booker, who endorsed Jones in June, has not rescinded his endorsement of Jones and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

The offices of three Democratic House members who have endorsed Jones, Reps. Eugene Vindman, Robert Scott, and Suhas Subramanyam, also did not respond to a request for comment on whether their endorsements still stand. 

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Vindman’s Republican opponent, Tara Durant, criticized him over his silence in a press release Monday, saying, “At a time when political violence is becoming all too real, Virginians deserve leaders who will lower the temperature and call out dangerous rhetoric — not turn a blind eye when it’s politically convenient.”

On Sunday, after the National Review report, Vindman reaffirmed his support for Jones in a post on X. 

Virginia’s two Democratic senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, have not officially endorsed Jones but also have not explicitly called for him to exit the race. 

Warner, according to Virginia Mercury, called the Jones texts “appalling” and “inconsistent with the person I’ve known.”

Kaine told Fox News Digital in a statement that Jones’s future is in the hands of voters.

“There is nothing that can justify these indefensible words and they are contrary to all I’ve known about Jay Jones for decades,” Kaine said. “With hundreds of thousands of Virginians already having voted, it’s up to Virginians to decide.”

Warner’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Spanberger, running for governor in one of the most closely watched races in the country, condemned Jones’ messages but stopped short of calling on him to withdraw from the race. 

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“I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words,” a Spanberger statement said. “As a candidate — and as the next governor of our commonwealth — I will always condemn violent language in our politics.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s campaign on Monday evening but did not immediately receive a response. 

The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee issued a statement affirming its support for Jones, calling for all Virginians to “line up behind” him.

“We are lined up, ten toes down, ready to organize, mobilize and deliver voters for Jay and our entire Democratic ticket,” the statement read. “Recent press may have spotlighted past mistakes. We say, let those without sin cast the first stone. Jay Jones has taken responsibility, apologized and shown he is committed to serving with integrity and accountability that his public record already shows.”

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The offices of the two top Democrats in Congress, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Jones should stay in the race. 

A variety of liberal advocacy groups have endorsed Jones as well, including Everytown for Gun Safety, who donated $200,000 to Jones earlier this year and endorsed him. The gun control group did not respond Monday when asked if they would rescind the endorsement.

Republicans across the country, citing the connection between violent rhetoric from the left and political violence resulting in two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump and the murder of Charlie Kirk, have been vocal in calling for Jones to drop out of the race.

“Democrat Jay Jones should drop out of the race immediately and the people of Virginia must continue to have a great attorney general in Jason Miyares who, by the way, has my complete and total endorsement,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Meanwhile, Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears sharply criticized Jones over the weekend, saying that his recently published 2022 text messages raise serious questions about his fitness for office.

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Jones has apologized for the texts, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Jones campaign for comment on plans to stay in the race but did not immediately hear back. 

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.