Virginia�s attorney general race has been thrown into chaos after Democratic candidate Jay Jones was forced into damage control over a string of vile, violent text messages � including one in which he suggested a Republican colleague should get �two bullets to the head.�

The revelation, first reported by The National Review, has detonated like a grenade in an already vicious campaign, shredding Jones�s credibility and forcing Democrats onto the defensive just weeks before Election Day.

Jones � a former state legislator who once marketed himself as a voice of civility � confirmed the texts were authentic and issued an apology, saying he takes �full responsibility� for his �actions.� But that admission has done little to stem bipartisan outrage over the messages, which go far beyond a lapse in judgment.

The comments were aimed at Todd Gilbert, then the Republican speaker of Virginia�s House of Delegates. In one exchange, Jones described Gilbert�s children �dying in the arms of their mother,� a line that stunned even his allies and prompted widespread calls for him to withdraw from the race.

�This isn�t a gaffe,� said Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, Jones�s opponent and the state�s top prosecutor. �You have to be coming from an incredibly dark place to write what he wrote � not about a stranger, but a colleague, someone you�ve worked with.�

Miyares, who has met with families of murder victims during his tenure, delivered one of the campaign�s most searing rebukes:

�There is no cry like that of a mother who has lost her child. For him to invoke that image � to weaponize it � is unspeakable.�

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger said she told Jones directly she was �disgusted� by his words. Lt. governor hopeful Ghazala Hashmi condemned the remarks as �reprehensible,� insisting, �political violence has no place in our country, and we must demand better from our leaders.�

The Republican Attorneys General Association weighed in, calling the texts �abhorrent� and urging Jones to drop out. Its chair, Kansas AG Kris Kobach, said, �There is no place for violent rhetoric � least of all from someone who wants to represent law enforcement.�

The timing could hardly be worse for Democrats, who are already battling internal fractures and public weariness over rising political hostility nationwide. The controversy also lands amid a wave of politically motivated killings, including last month�s shooting deaths of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.

Jones�s campaign has scrambled to contain the fallout, insisting he was not in office when the messages were sent and that they were �an immature and inexcusable lapse in judgment.� But the explanation rings hollow.

In one text from 2022, Jones wrote: �Three people, two bullets… Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.�

Delegate Carrie Coyner, a moderate Republican who received the texts, reportedly urged him to stop. His reply: �Lol … ok ok.�

Now, as early voting continues across Virginia, the fallout is spreading fast. Democratic insiders privately admit the scandal could cost them the race for attorney general � and tarnish their broader message about restoring decency in politics.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)