Jay Jones’ Murderous Texts Reveal The Bankruptcy Of The Dems’ Moral Compass: Mary Katharine Ham

The Democratic Party won’t disavow their candidate for Attorney General in Virginia, Jay Jones, despite a slew of texts from him saying he’d like to murder a Republican colleague and see his children die in their mother’s arms. But voters might do the disavowing for them.

I’m sure it sounds like I’m exaggerating about those comments, revealed last week by National Review. Over the years, I’ve heard partisans say over and over that politicians want people to die because they want to change net neutrality rules or Medicaid enrollment restrictions or Obamacare subsidies. It’s never been quite so literal as this week.

Here are Jones’ thoughts, texted to Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner. It was 2022 and the occasion for Jones’ anger was Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert eulogizing a recently deceased moderate Democrat. You also read that right. Jones was set off by a Republican being kind toward a Democrat.

"If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves," he said of Republicans giving nice eulogies.

He went on, despite Coyner admonishing him.

"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."

Coyner again encourages Jones to stop, saying, "It really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them."

He "lol"s and she tells him he shouldn’t be "hopping [sic] Jennifer Gilbert’s children die," to which he replies with the most chilling line of the exchange, which is saying something!

"Yes, I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy."

He thought "Todd and Jennifer [were] breeding little fascists" and a dose of cold-blooded murder might help change their minds. 

This is an explicit endorsement of political violence, of murder, of terrorism from the man who would be the head law-enforcement officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia. It’s not a bridge too far, however, for aspiring governor Abigail Spanberger, who has not asked him to step aside as her running mate.
 

Here she is with a tortured and tepid attempt at answering questions about Jones’ comments at Thursday’s debate.

This is not the first time Spanberger has had trouble doing the bare-minimum normal thing in this race. Neither Virginia Senator has asked Jones to step aside, with Sen. Mark Warner staying silent and Sen. Tim Kaine defending him. Kaine has known Jones since he was a child, as Jones is a scion of a Virginia political family. What are a few murder texts between old friends?

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on CNN that despite the murder texts, it’s none of her business because she famously doesn’t get involved in other people’s races, except for that one time she ousted the sitting President of the United States to replace him with the least charming and capable politician in the United States other than the one with dementia she ousted. But I digress.

"What I understand is they say, on balance, he is a better person to be Attorney General."

Jones has not lost one endorsement despite declining to apologize in his first response, calling the texts regrettable but also a "smear" by a "Trump-controlled" media outlet. 

He later did apologize and has been mostly hiding since. He is endorsed by the Virginia teachers union and Giffords PAC for gun violence prevention, as well as Brady PAC.

Here’s the reason. These liberal figures all subscribe to the philosophy Jones lays out in his texts. It literally doesn't matter what Jones says or does. The other guy is Hitler/Pol Pot. Hence, the ludicrous scenario in which they rally around the guy who fantasizes about murdering his opponents and their children to beat what they’ll tell you is the *real violent threat*, a normie Republican Attorney General with no such comments on his record.

But voters have yet to have their say. It would be a lot to ask in a blue-purple state like Virginia in an off-year during a government shutdown for an undercard race to produce enough ticket-splitting or under-voting to defeat Jones. But Jones himself released a poll showing himself one point up after this news story broke. Given that his aim is to give his best possible showing to stave off calls for him to drop out, a 1-point lead is not good. He is down five points from his September numbers and running far behind the head of the Democratic ticket. Spanberger is running, sometimes double digits ahead of current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. It may be just a matter of time before the damage starts to rub off on Spanberger.

CLIFTON, VA - JUNE 17: Virginia Attorney General Democratic candidate Jay Jones jokes with longtime friend Jake Spillman outside of a voting precinct at Centreville High School on primary day, June 17, 2025 in Clifton, VA. (Photo by Craig Hudson For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Republican-funded ads highlighting the texts are just starting to blanket the air, and there is money behind them— seven figures in national party spending to complement the Miyares and Earle-Sears campaigns.

There has been a coarsening of talk by politicians over the last 10 years that’s hard to deny. It has its drawbacks and, believe me, I wish voters rewarded decorum and competence over bombast and meanness. But what it also gives us is authenticity. Instead of well-rehearsed talking points, you more often get what politicians actually think. 

And boy did we really find out what Jones thought, as well as everyone who backs him. The GOP’s new ad features a female voiceover, intoning, "It's so disgusting but it's true."

I appreciate the mom-voice narration, as it reminds me that I am the exact demo of mom whose children the aspiring attorney general in my state would like to see die in my arms to make me change my policy positions. I’m probably not the only one who noticed.