Who is Jason Miyares? Meet the Republican running for Virginia attorney general
Virginia's Attorney General Jason Miyares discusses Title IX case
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has concluded his investigation into possible Title IX violations in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS). He joined FOX 5 to discuss the case.
RICHMOND, Va. - Republican incumbent Jason Miyares is facing off against Democratic candidate Jay Jones for Virginia Attorney General.
Who is Jason Miyares?
What we know:
Miyares, 49, was born in Greensboro, North Carolina and grew up in Virginia Beach. He’s served as the attorney general for Virginia since 2022.
Before that, Miyares served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2016 to 2022.
Miyares is Cuban-American; his mother fled from Havana, Cuba in 1965. He is the first Hispanic American elected to statewide office in Virginia and the first child of an immigrant to become Attorney General.
What are Jason Miyares’ top issues?
Big picture view:
In his current role, Miyares has been focused "on fighting violent crime and improving public safety, strengthening economic growth, combatting the deadly impact of opioids and fentanyl, and protecting Virginians from corporate misconduct," according to the OAG website.
With abortion a top focus in Virginia, Miyares has taken a balanced approach: he opposes abortion after the 15th week, with exceptions for rape, incest and protecting the life of the mother. In 2023, Miyares declined to join a lawsuit challenging the safety and approval of the abortion medication mifepristone.
When it comes to education, Miyares has been focused on parental involvement.
"Parents have a fundamental right to the care, upbringing, and education of their children. Parents, not government, are in the best position to work with their children on important life decisions, and no parent signs up to co-parent with the government," Miyares said in a 2023 opinion.
Earlier this summer, Miyares investigated Title IX allegations in Loudoun County.
Miyares alleges that the school system improperly targeted three male students at Stone Bridge High School not for misconduct, but for expressing discomfort about sharing a locker room with a member of the opposite sex.
"What we have found is Loudoun County Public Schools have both bad policy and bad judgment," Miyares told FOX 5.
Miyares has also referred Fairfax County Public Schools to the Department of Justice and the Department of Education over claims that Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology discriminated against Asian American students in its admission practices.
Last month, Miyares announced an investigation into insulin pricing.
In a press release, Miyares said the investigation will focus on"allegations that insulin manufacturers conspired with PBMs to artificially inflate the cost of diabetic medications, while deceiving consumers about the reasons, or lack thereof, for those price increases."
"Imagine basically a cartel that’s supposedly supposed to negotiate lower prices for the pharmacy, but they also own the pharmacy," Miyares told Fox 5 Tuesday evening. "So, they then have an actual economic incentive to quote-unquote negotiate a price that’s actually higher than what the pharmacy can in a normal world negotiate directly with the manufacturer."
Virginia AG debate: Jay Jones apologizes for violent texts
Tom Fitzgerald discusses the Virginia Attorney General debate with Greg Schneider, who covers Virginia for the Washington Post.
Virginia attorney general debate
On October 16, Miyares and Jones took the stage at the University of Richmond for their one and only debate.
The debate remained fairly diplomatic, with candidates taking direct jabs at each other and criticising each other's proposed policies, but the rhetoric was measured and the candidates appeared restrained.
Miyares repeatedly hammered Jones over the text scandal, and also brought up a previous speeding charge in which Jones was accused of driving over 100 mph.
"Jay, if you applied to be a line prosecutor in not just my office, but any office in the country, you wouldn’t pass a background check," Miyares said.
Jones hit back, calling out the attorney general for not suing the Trump administration over issues like government layoffs and tariffs, as some other attorneys general have. He accused Miyares of acting as a puppet for the president, and said he does not believe Miyares will stand up against Trump in the interest of Virginians.
"I have been held accountable," Jones said about his charges. "And I think Virginians should have leaders who understand when you make mistakes, you should be held accountable. But what we have here in Virginia right now is an attorney general who won't hold the president accountable. For the last nine months, Donald Trump has run rough shot over this Commonwealth."
"We have to hold this administration accountable and as your attorney general, I will do that," Jones went on to say.
Latest polling
By the numbers:
A poll earlier this month by the Trafalgar Group, which is moderate to right leaning, shows Miyares up in the polls after 2022 text messages surfaced in which Jones mused about shooting a Republican lawmaker.
The poll shows support for Jones slipping from 48.8 percent in early October to 43.1 percent, while Miyares’s support has climbed from 45 percent to 48.9 percent. The survey of 1,066 respondents was conducted between October 8 and 10.
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