Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson have both called on Virginia Democrat attorney general candidate Jay Jones to withdraw from the race, citing private text messages he sent to Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner in which he entertained a hypothetical about shooting then–House Speaker Todd Gilbert and referenced his children dying.
Vance posted on X“The Democrat candidate for AG in Virginia has been fantasizing about murdering his political opponents in private messages. I’m sure the people hyperventilating about sombrero memes will join me in calling for this very deranged person to drop out of the race.”
(Vance’s reference to “sombrero memes” followed recent posts by President Trump depicting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero during the ongoing shutdown, a subject Vance previously addressed in comments covered here).
Johnson added,“These text messages are plainly disqualifying for anyone who aspires to public office.
There is no conceivable justification for wishing violence against a political opponent and their children.
Mr. Jay Jones should immediately withdraw his candidacy, save himself and his party from further embarrassment, and take some time to reflect.”
The remarks followed reports from the National Review showing that Jones, who resigned from the Virginia House of Delegates in 2022, had texted Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner to complain about tributes to late Democrat lawmaker Joseph Johnson Jr. In the exchange, Jones derided Republicans, speculated about attending funerals “to piss on their graves,” and wrote that if faced with two bullets and the choice of targeting dictators or Gilbert, he would shoot Gilbert. Twice.
Coyner confirmed the messages to the Washington Post and said Jones later extended the conversation in which he allegedly referenced Gilbert’s children dying in their mother’s arms. She condemned the comments as disqualifying.
Republican officials, including the Republican Attorneys General Association and Gov. Glenn Youngkin, have urged Jones to step aside. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is running for governor against Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger, has joined those calls, while Republicans have faulted Spanberger and other Democrats for not demanding his withdrawal.
Jones has issued apologies, stating that he takes full responsibility and that the words make him “sick to [his] stomach.” In an interview with ABC 8News, he expressed that he was “deeply, deeply sorry” and wished he could take the messages back.
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