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Virginia Legal professional Normal Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears delivered a blistering one-two punch this weekend, saying Democratic AG candidate Jay Jones has disqualified himself from workplace after texts emerged by which he wished for the dying of a Republican rival’s kids.
The coordinated condemnations marked probably the most aggressive escalation but in an issue that has thrown Virginia politics right into a fever pitch heading into the nationally watched 2025 election.
“Jay Jones has proven he’s reckless, biased, and keen to commerce away his integrity,” Miyares wrote in an open letter to Virginians, posted to social media late Saturday. “This conduct is disqualifying.”
Hours later, Sears took the stage to ship remarks and accused Democrats of being “consumed with hate.”
YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST ‘STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE’ OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADER
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears speaks at a podium on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, after texts from Democrat lawyer normal candidate Jay Jones surfaced by which he wished dying on a Republican rival’s kids. (Pool)
“The enemy is amongst us, devouring us in Virginia and in America right now,” Sears stated in a fiery speech. “Jay Jones fantasizes about murdered little kids mendacity lifeless of their mom’s arms. And but he runs for lawyer normal, our chief legislation enforcement officer.”
The uproar adopted the publication of personal 2022 textual content messages by which Jones, then a rising Democrat star, stated he hoped former Republican Home Speaker Todd Gilbert’s kids would die. When challenged, Jones doubled down, saying that such grief is likely to be “a great factor” if it superior his politics.
Jones has since apologized, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and stated he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his household.
VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE ONCE REFERENCED PUTTING ‘TWO BULLETS TO THE HEAD’ OF GOP LEADER, TEXTS SHOW
Virginia Legal professional Normal Jason Miyares sits for a portrait in his workplace in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Could 9, 2023. (Ryan M. Kelly/AP Picture)
However Virginia Republicans stated the injury is irreversible. Miyares, who has served as lawyer normal since 2022, wrote that as a prosecutor he has “sat with crying victims and grieving households” and heard “the cries of a guardian who has misplaced a toddler.” He stated nobody, “least of all a candidate for Virginia’s high law-enforcement workplace, ought to ever deal with such ache as a political instrument.”
Miyares’ letter put the race’s stakes in plain language. “For those who consider it’s okay to want dying upon a political opponent — vote for my opponent,” he wrote. “For those who consider it’s definitely worth the dying of kids to advance your political objectives — vote for my opponent. If you wish to give a inexperienced gentle to violent lunatics — vote for my opponent.”
The lawyer normal stated his personal oath of workplace obligates him to guard each Virginian, “no matter whether or not they’re a Democrat or Republican.” He added: “I can not think about somebody operating for this job who advocates for violence.”
Sears broadened her criticism past Jones, tying his feedback to a tradition of what she known as Democrat “rage politics.”
Virginia lawyer normal candidate Jerrauld “Jay” Jones speaks at an occasion in Norfolk, Virginia. (Trevor Metcalfe/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune Information Service through Getty Pictures)
“The management of the Democrat Social gathering is inciting violence as a method to win energy,” Sears stated. She famous that gubernatorial candidate Rep. Abigail Spanberger urged her supporters to “let your rage fill you.”
“Properly, phrases have which means,” Sears continued. “Rage is outlined as violent, uncontrolled anger.” She warned Virginians to take discover, citing previous threats and assaults on Republicans nationwide, from the 2022 try on Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s life to high school shootings focusing on Christians.
“The unstable pull the triggers,” Sears added, “however they’re impressed by the hate tolerated and inspired by the management of the Democrat Social gathering.”
Each Republicans framed the controversy as a turning level within the 2025 election.
“Previous to this week, this race was about competing views on public security,” Miyares wrote. “Now it’s about fundamental health for public workplace.”
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Sears closed her speech with a plea for unity and religion: “As an immigrant, I’ve seen what occurs when leftists destroy the foundations of freedom.”
“Let every of us act to guard our beloved Commonwealth of Virginia and the present from God that’s the USA of America,” Sears concluded.
Fox Information Digital didn’t obtain responses on requests for remark from Sears, Miyares or Jones on the time of publication.
Fox Information Digital’s Greg Norman, Danielle Wallace and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
