As the scandal surrounding Democratic Attorney General candidate Jay Jones continues to send shockwaves through Virginia politics, Republican lawmakers and candidates are speaking out, calling his violent rhetoric emblematic of a deeper culture of political hostility.
The scandal centers on text messages, sent in 2022, in which Jones speaks of assassinating then‑Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert.
In one message, Jones wrote, “Three people, two bullets Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot. 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.”
In another, he added, “If those guys die before me I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves.”
When Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner, the recipient of the texts, pushed back, Jones responded, “Lol / Ok, ok,” but later justified his rhetoric by saying, “l’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
He also referred to Gilbert and his wife as “evil” and accused them of “breeding little fascists.”
The scandal has intensified as additional remarks from Jones have come to light, including a comment made during a 2020 policy conversation in which he allegedly said police may reconsider their treatment of citizens should more of them be killed.
“Well, maybe if a few of them died, that they would move on, not shooting people, not killing people,” Jones allegedly said.
Jones has denied making those comments, according to the New York Post.
The Jones controversy has become a defining issue of the 2025 election cycle, with Republicans tying it to broader concerns about political violence and rising hostility in public life.
As the race enters its final month, GOP candidates say Virginia voters will have a clear choice between civility and chaos.
Del. Ian Lovejoy (R–Prince William) has condemned the text messages in which Jones fantasized about executing Gilbert and described his children dying in their mother’s arms.
“The text messages and subsequent comments from Jay Jones regarding Speaker Todd Gilbert and his family are nothing short of horrific,” Lovejoy told the Prince William Reporter. “To even think of wishing death upon a member you serve alongside and express desire for a mother to hold her dying child is morbid and deranged. The level of detail in his text messages show he put thought into the circumstance, which makes this all the more troubling.”
Jones, for his part, has apologized, calling the messages “a grave mistake,” saying he was “embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry.” He claims to have reached out to the Gilbert family to apologize directly.
But Republicans say the remorse is too little, too late and are urging Democrats to publicly disavow the behavior.
“There is no ‘Gosh, I’m sorry’ here. Jones doesn’t have the morality or character to drop out of this race,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin wrote in a social media post.
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is running to replace Youngkin, said Jones is “consumed with hate,” accusing him of promoting a culture of “rage politics.”
Attorney General Jason Miyares, who Jones is challenging, addressed the issue in an open letter to Virginians.
“Jay Jones wished for the violent death of a political opponent and then fantasized about that opponent’s children dying in their mother’s arms,” Miyares said. “When confronted, he doubled down, saying that kind of grief and pain would be a good thing if it advanced his politics. And politics aside, one has to be coming from a dark place to advocate the murder of a colleague and their family. This conduct is disqualifying.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has blasted Earle-Sears’ opponent Virginia’s Democrat gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger for refusing to publicly disavow Jones after violent texts of his resurfaced.
“Radical Left Lunatic, Jay Jones, who is running against Jason Miyares, the GREAT Attorney General in Virginia, made sick and demented jokes, if they were jokes at all, which were not funny, and that he wrote down and sent around to people, concerning the murdering of a Republican Legislator, his wife, and their children,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Abigail Spanberger, who is running for Governor, is weak and ineffective, and refuses to acknowledge what this Lunatic has done.”
Lovejoy has also called on Jones to withdraw from the race.“I firmly believe Jones should drop out of the race and seek the help he needs mentally and spiritually,” Lovejoy said. “It is equally troubling that not one Democrat has demanded his withdrawal, with dozens of them doubling down by telling their voters to turn a blind eye to such.”
Lovejoy argued that the lack of condemnation from Democratic leaders signals a larger problem within the party.
“The Democrats are starting to show their true colors, and Republicans can’t help but feel unsafe,” he said. “While knocking doors, I’ve talked to lifelong Democrats who are not able to support the current ticket of extremists because their conduct has become so vile. While I may not agree with these individuals on everything, we can at least agree that public safety and public discourse are paramount to the fiber of our nation.”
He also linked Jones’ comments to what he described as a growing pattern of threats and violence targeting conservatives.
The controversy over Jones’s comments comes amid a wave of leftist political violence, including the mid-September assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, deadly attacks on United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities and attempts on the life of former President Donald Trump.
“Unfortunately this seems to be par for the course for many Democrats in 2025,” Lovejoy said. “Just over the last month, we have seen Democrats celebrate the Charlie Kirk assasination, send disturbing death threats to two of my Republican colleagues, wish for an entire Republican’s family dead, and verbally assault Republicans on the Prince William County School Board for merely suggesting students in Prince William County should be allowed to start a conservative club in high schools.”
Lovejoy reflected on the tone of modern campaigns.
“Having run for office in the past, I am no stranger to false attacks on my character and voting record, but what we have seen recently goes beyond that,” he said. “I believe the rhetoric and attacks of the Democrats from the top down has gotten too hyperbolic. When you liken us to Fascists or Nazis, bad things happen. When you can’t outsmart us, bad things happen. It’s sad that we have gotten to this point, yet all too predictable given what elected Democrats tell their voters to think of people who simply disagree with them on policy.”
Lovejoy, an entrepreneur who holds degrees from Concord University and Virginia Tech, began his term representing Virginia’s 22nd House District in January 2024. He is being challenged on Nov. 4 by Democrat Elizabeth Guzman.
Notably, Guzman hosted Jones at the opening of her campaign office, signaling a close alliance between the two.
Following the scandal, Guzman has remained silent, refusing to condemn Jones’ comments.
Similarly, Del. Joshua Thomas (D–Prince William) has declined to speak out. Notably, both Jones and Thomas have been endorsed by the Virginia AFL-CIO.
District 21 House of Delegates candidate Greg Gorham, a Republican, is challenging Thomas this fall.
“I have confidence the voters will handle this on November 4,” Gorham told the Prince William Reporter. “Let him run and let the public see what his candidacy is all about so he can drag the full ticket down with him. If he withdraws, he evades scrutiny. If Jones chooses to voluntarily withdraw, I’m fine with that too.”
Gorham warned that the broader climate of political discourse has reached a dangerous boiling point.
“We have desensitized ourselves to the vile behavior his comments reflect,” he said. “We live in an echo chamber of hostile language that has the sole purpose to keep us angry with the other side. We no longer rely on polite discourse, we rely on feeding the rage in hopes of keeping people engaged, it is a scorched earth strategy that leaves nothing good, win or lose the argument.”
He emphasized that rhetoric matters, especially when it filters down to those who may act on it.
“People should pay more attention to the hostile language they use; we don’t know who is listening and if that listener can separate rhetoric from real life harm,” Gorham said. “Many are so beholden to ‘we have bosses’ that they are incapable of thinking for themselves. Some may hear violent rhetoric and act as if they have been directed by ‘their bosses.’”
Gorham contrasted his campaign with what he described as the toxic partisanship dominating Virginia politics.
“All I need to win is more votes than the incumbent on November 4, 2025,” he said. “I have not and will not surrender my integrity by blindly following partisan talking points, I am an independent thinking Republican. I will do my best to tamp down dirty tricks, and this toxic type of behavior. In my campaign I have authorized no negative advertising.”
Gorham, a retired IT professional and longtime resident of House District 21, is running on a platform focused on curbing data center expansion, election integrity and bipartisan reform.
He has emphasized his deep roots in the district and longstanding involvement in local issues, particularly his opposition to the Prince William Digital Gateway project.
Gorham has pledged to reject campaign donations from developers with pending projects and has criticized his opponent for prioritizing politics over practical solutions. He also advocates for repealing local taxes and preserving historic sites like the Manassas National Battlefield Park.
If elected, Gorham said he would push for bipartisan reforms to rebuild trust in the legislature.
“In Richmond, I will promote bipartisan bill patron requirements, so legislators must work with each other rather than be slaves to party bosses,” he said. “The path to defusing this violence is talking civilly with each other first.”
