PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Candidates for Virginia attorney general, incumbent Jason Miyares and Democratic challenger Jay Jones, faced off Thursday night in a crucial debate at the University of Richmond.
The debate came at a pivotal moment in the campaign, with Jones embroiled in a texting scandal that has reportedly narrowed his lead in the polls.
Dr. Jesse Richman, an associate political science professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, noted the impact of the scandal, saying, “this revelation is a surprise that has upended the campaign in important ways, giving a much more probable path to Miyares returning to office as attorney general for another term.”
The texting scandal involved messages from 2022 in which Jones hypothetically discussed a scenario where former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert would be shot.
Jones had a chance to share his apology on the stage, saying that he has been held accountable for what he said about Gilbert, as well as his speeding court case out of New Kent County.
“I am ashamed, I am embarrassed, and I am sorry,” Jones said. “I am sorry to Speaker Gilbert. I am sorry to his family. I am sorry to my family, and I am sorry to every single Virginian.”
The texts were a popular topic on the stage, with Miyares weighing in several times.
“This is unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” Miyares said. “Somebody advocating to be the top prosecutor in the state whose job is to stop violence, who’s actually advocated for violence.”
Before the texts were made public, Jones held a strong lead in two polls, but the margin has since narrowed, according to The Hill, which now shows the candidates neck and neck in the latest polling.
The debate was the last opportunity for voters to see both candidates on the same stage before Election Day.
Jones alleged that Miyares refuses to sue President Trump when other attorneys general have, which is something Jones expressed he wants to do if elected.
“If you’re going to prosecute a case, you should prosecute the president, but you’re too afraid, you’re too scared, and you’re too weak to stand up to him,” Jones said. “I have no problem. I cannot wait to see Donald Trump in court and protect Virginia to put us first and get what we deserve.”
Miyares said that Jones should run for Congress to focus on Washington instead of attorney general. He also argued that he has sued President Trump.
“I ask you to all go on WAVY TV 10, [the] NBC affiliate that did a Truth Tracker on Jay Jones’ false ad and his ad alleging what he’s saying about myself; they rated it as false. Why? Because I call balls and strikes the reality. I’ve sued both administrations, the Trump administration and the Biden administration,” Miyares said.
Both candidates also fielded questions on topics ranging from clean energy to civil rights to immigration.
Jones said he wants to crack down on violent crime, get illegal guns off the street, protect children and prosecute cases against President Trump.
Miyares said he would like to protect Virginians by continuing his work bringing down murder rates, violent crime and addiction deaths.
The outcome of the debate could significantly influence the race for attorney general as voters weigh the implications of the texting scandal and each candidate’s stance on key issues.
It could also come down to how Virginians view the current Trump Administration.
“I think if we have a Democratic attorney general, we will see a much more aggressive approach taken to pushing back against Trump administration actions,” Richman said. “That’s probably the crucial sort of Federalism angle to this.”
Watch the full debate here:
