Politics
WATCH: Dem Candidate Caught In Brutal Debate Moment Over Fellow Dem’s Violent Threats
U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) refused to give a concrete answer when asked whether she would retract her endorsement of Jay Jones, the Democratic Party nominee for attorney general in Virginia, following the emergence of violent text messages.
In 2022 text messages to a colleague, Jones stated that he wanted to put “two bullets” in the head of then-Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert. He then doubled down and threatened Gilbert’s wife and children over the phone, according to a report from the National Review.
“I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy,” the Democrat nominee told Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner. Jones then directed his violent rhetoric towards Gilbert’s children. “I mean do I think Todd and Jennifer are evil? And that they’re breeding little fascists? Yes,” he went on.
Spanberger has condemned Jones’ comments, but has stopped short of calling on him to drop out. The Democrat candidate was asked about the messages and her endorsement of Jones in what was widely seen as the pivotal moment of the debate between herself and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, Spanberger’s Republican opponent.
After Spanberger said she was “aware of” Jones’ messages, Earle-Sears immediately jumped in to demand a clear answer. “I denounced them when I learned of them and I will denounce them every chance I get,” Spanberger said, at which point Earle-Sears once again pressed for a direct answer.
“I didn’t hear an answer on [the Jones] question,” co-moderator Deanna Albrittin followed up, giving Spanberger 15 seconds to answer definitively. “We are all running our individual races. I believe my opponent has said that about her lieutenant governor nominee. And it’s up to every person to make their own decision. I am running my race to serve Virginia, and that is what I intend to do,” she responded, once again refusing to answer.
The moderators then gave her yet another chance to give a direct answer, instead giving a similar response about “individual races” and choices. Earle-Spears then turned directly to her opponent and admonished her for refusing to answer the question, asking whether it would take Jones “pulling the trigger” to pull her endorsement.
Spanberger also received criticism for her overall demeanor throughout the debate, as she oftentimes refused to make eye contact with Earle-Sears even as she turned directly to face her.
In another viral debate moment, Earle-Sears condemned Spanberger’s wait to condemn a left-wing protestor’s racist sign at one of the Republican candidate’s speaking events. The sign stated that Earle-Sears, who is black, should be forced to use a separate water fountain if she opposes biological males competing in women’s and girl’s sports.
The pivotal debate comes as Spanberger has seen her polling lead decline in recent weeks. While the Democrat is still favored to win the race, one recent poll from Cygnal had Spanberger leading by just four percentage points, with an additional 5.6 percent of respondents remaining undecided.
For comparison, Spanberger led by seven in the September iteration of the poll.
