Breitbart News reported that nearly 200 Democrats and major groups continue to endorse Jay Jones for Virginia attorney general despite the resurfacing of violent texts in which he discussed shooting a GOP leader and referenced his children’s deaths.
According to Breitbart, Jones maintains endorsements from nearly 200 organizations, elected officials, and prominent Democrats, even days after text messages from 2022 resurfaced showing violent language and threats. In its article “Meet the Democrats Who Still Endorse Jay Jones After Remarks About Wanting a GOP Leader and His Children Dead,” Breitbart notes that as of October 6, none of those endorsers had publicly withdrawn support or called for Jones to drop out. The continued endorsements, Breitbart suggests, underscore a split within the Democratic Party over accountability and tolerance for inflammatory rhetoric.
Breitbart’s report cites the original National Review publication of Jones’s private texts, in which he wrote that if given a choice between shooting Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, or then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, he would “pick Gilbert every time.” The texts also included disturbing content about wishing that Gilbert’s children would die in their mother’s arms to influence his policy stances. Delegate Carrie Coyner confirmed their authenticity and publicly condemned them as “not just disturbing but disqualifying.”
The report highlights that despite bipartisan calls from figures like President Trump, Vice President Vance, Governor Glenn Youngkin, and other Republicans demanding Jones step down, his campaign site still displays support from major Democrats and groups. Among those kept on the website are endorsements from Senator Cory Booker, Representative Robert Scott, the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations), SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Virginia, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, and the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. The article notes that the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee publicly reaffirmed their support, citing Jones’s apology and framing the criticism as “past mistakes” spotlighted by press rather than disqualifying behavior.
Breitbart News is a U.S.-based conservative news and opinion outlet founded in 2007 by Andrew Breitbart. It operates as a syndicated website covering politics, culture, and national issues from a right-leaning perspective, often spotlighting stories of political controversy, media bias, and ideological conflict.
