Politics
NEW: Scandal-Ridden Dem’s Collapse Continues As Trump-Backed Candidate Takes Polling Lead
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, is surging in both polling averages and betting markets as his Democrat opponent’s violent messages scandal continues to make a significant impact on the race.
Jay Jones, a former state lawmaker and current Democratic Party nominee for attorney general in Virginia, has generated national outrage following the emergence of violent text messages he sent to a colleague in 2022. Jones expressed his desire to Jones stated that he wanted to put “two bullets” in the head of then-Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his wife, Jennifer.
He then directed his threats towards the couple’s children, stating that the Gilberts are “breeding little fascists.”
Jones served two terms in the Virginia House of Delegates before running for attorney general
The disturbing messages sent by Jones were initially shared with the ‘National Review’
Prior to the emergence of the messages, Jones held a comfortable polling lead and was widely projected to unseat Miyares given the state’s partisan lean. Now, following the scandal and a number of viral moments centered on it during Thursday night’s debate, the race has now completely flipped and shows Miyares in the lead.
According to the Decision Desk HQ polling average, Miyares leads with 47.8 percent of the vote to Jones’ 45.7 percent. The trend caps off a disastrous fall for Jones, who led by more than 10 percentage points in the polling average as of August 14.
The most recent entries into the polling average have been overwhelmingly positive for the Republican incumbent. One poll conducted by Cygnal between October 6-7 found Miyares leading by 2.1 percentage points, while an October 9-10 survey from Trafalgar Group found the Republican up by 5.8.
The latest entry, an October 13-15 poll from Insider Advantage and Trafalgar Group, found Miyares leading by 4.9 percentage points.
Jones’ candidacy has also suffered a sharp collapse in betting markets. According to the predictions site Polymarket, Miyares’ chances of victory have climbed to 67 percent, up from 45 percent on October 8.
Miyares was first elected in 2021, a year that produced historic gains for Republicans in Virginia
Jones initially issued a defiant statement in response to the messages before ultimately apologizing following intense, nationwide backlash. Several prominent Republicans, including President Trump and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, have called on Jones to exit the race.
Prominent Virginia Democrats, including gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger, have issued boilerplate statements condemning the remarks but have stopped short of calling on Jones to drop out.
Miyares and Jones frequently clashed over the messages during Thursday night’s debate in Richmond.
“And the reality, Jay, is that your text messages that advocated for violence against innocent children, Jay, if you were to apply to be a line prosecutor in not just my office, any attorney general office in the country, you would not pass a background check,” Miyares said.
“And right now, you may say that you are sorry, but look back at what happened. You had three years to say you’re sorry, Jay, and you didn’t. Three years to actually recognize what you did was horrific. You chose to stay silent. Kerry Cornyer called you out then. You doubled down. It was after she called you out for these text messages that that is when you said you advocated for violence against children,” the attorney general added.
Jones responded by issuing a brief, one sentence apology before deflecting by talking about President Donald Trump and the January 6 Capitol protests. “Well, look, Brett, I want to say one thing;. Jason Miyares can’t prosecute a case against Donald Trump, that’s for sure,” the Democrat responded when asked whether his judgement can be trusted going forward.
“And I will also say this. I was held accountable by my party, and I deeply, deeply respect that. But what about when Donald Trump used incendiary language to incite a riot to try to overturn an election here in this country? What about when Winsome Sears used violent language about people who disagree with you and her and your extreme position on abortion?” he added, spending less than 10 seconds on his apology before redirecting.
