Who is Jay Jones? Meet the Democrat running for Virginia attorney general

RICHMOND, Va. - Jay Jones is the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s Attorney General. He’s running against Republican incumbent Jason Miyares, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. 

Who is Jay Jones? 

What we know:

36-year-old Jones was born in Norfolk, VA and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia. He served two terms in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2022.

Since leaving the Virginia House of Delegates, Jones told FOX 5 DC that he’s been working "in the private sector, litigating in court against Governor Youngkin and Jason Miyares on behalf of folks like the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP to protect voting rights."

This isn’t the first time Jones has tried to run for Virginia attorney general – he announced his candidacy in 2020, but lost the Democratic primary to Mark Herring. 

What are Jay Jones’ top issues? 

Big picture view:

Jones spoke with FOX 5’s Jim Lokay in June ahead of the Virginia primary, and discussed what he believes is at the forefront of Virginians minds. 

"We want to make sure that we're focusing on Virginians' pocketbooks, that we're going after the price gougers, we're going after the corporate polluters, we’re going after the folks who are making us all less safe and less secure, and that we are protecting civil rights and civil liberties, because that's what's at stake in this election," said Jones. 

He also criticized current Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, saying he would "rather work for Donald Trump than work for [Virginians]."

"I'm running for attorney general because Virginia needs a fighter, someone who's not going to stay silent while our rights are under attack," said Jones. "The current attorney general has turned this office into nothing more than a political tool, and we deserve better.

Other top issues for Jones include expanding abortion rights, protecting voting rights and cracking down on illegal guns.

Jay Jones' text message scandal

Dig deeper:

In October, controversial text messages surfaced in which he mused about shooting a Republican lawmaker.  

The National Review published the texts from Jones, sent to a Republican lawmaker back in 2022. 

In the messages, Jones commented about former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, saying, "three people two bullets…Gilbert, Hitler, and Polpot…Gilbert gets two bullets to the head."

In a statement, Jones said in part: "I take full responsibility for my actions, and I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family. Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry."

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and President Donald Trump have both called for Jones to drop out of the race following the leaked text messages. 

"Anyone who supports that, who stands with it, who does anything else other than to say, 'You should drop out of this race,' is condoning it," said Youngkin. "And that is, I believe, something that each one of the candidates in this race needs to be very clear about - that he cannot serve, will not serve, should not serve, should not run."

In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump referred to Jones as a "Radical Left Lunatic" who made "SICK and DEMENTED jokes."

"Democrat Jay Jones should drop out of the race immediately," Trump wrote, adding that Virginians "must continue to have a GREAT Attorney General in Jason Miyares," whom he called "my Complete and Total Endorsement."

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 Jones down in the polls in the aftermath of his text message scandal. 

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.  

 Live 2025 Virginia election results coverage

FOX LOCAL is your one place for continuous Virginia election coverage all night on November 4, starting the moment the polls close at 7:00p.m. FOX LOCAL will be LIVE bringing you the latest on Virginia governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, House of Delegates and more. 

Here’s how to get FOX LOCAL on your smart TV and mobile phone. 

FOX 5 DC will be bringing you live election results starting at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4. Click here for live results on election night.