Controversial Texts and Coattail Effect Lead to Jay Jones’ Victory in Virginia Attorney General Race

By John Gizzi
Wednesday, 05 November 2025 07:15 AM EST

Less than a month ago, Republican Jason Miyares appeared poised for reelection as attorney general. However, the resurfacing of contentious texts from Democrat opponent Jay Jones sparked public backlash, initially seeming to secure Miyares’ victory—regardless of outcomes for his ticketmates for governor and lieutenant governor. Despite the messages suggesting Jones would prefer seeing former state House Speaker Todd Gilbert killed over Hitler or Cambodian leader Pol Pot, and calls for his removal from the ballot (which were impractical at this stage of the election), Jones narrowly triumphed over Miyares.

Experts in Virginia politics cited the decisive 57% to 43% win by Democrat Abigail Spanberger as governor as the primary factor. “Spanberger’s coattails propelled Jones to victory,” Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, told Newsmax. “The scale of this landslide was insurmountable for a down-ticket Republican.” Henry Olsen, senior fellow at the Center for Ethics and Public Policy, echoed this sentiment, noting, “Spanberger’s skirttails played a critical role. Democrats also gained 14 delegate seats, ensuring the next House of Delegates will be 65-35 in their favor.”

Additional factors contributed to Jones’ survival amid the scandal. When his inflammatory texts about Gilbert surfaced in mid-October, early voting was already underway. A record 1.1 million Virginians had voted by then, with many casting ballots before the controversy erupted. While Spanberger condemned Jones’ messages, no major Democrats urged him to drop out of the race. Meanwhile, the Democratic Attorneys General Association injected over $1 million into Jones’ campaign following the text revelations.

Miyares, 49, remains a prominent figure among state Republicans, with speculation already emerging about his potential bid against Democrat Sen. Mark Warner next year.