Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger refused five times to rescind her endorsement of attorney general nominee Jay Jones, who has come under fire for texting about shooting a Republican colleague.
During Thursday night’s gubernatorial debate, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears pressed Spanberger directly: “Abigail, when are you gonna take Jay Jones and say to him, ‘You must leave the race?’ He has said he wants to murder his political opponent, and not only that—his opponent’s children.”
Despite repeated questioning from moderators, Spanberger declined to withdraw her support. She called Jones’s comments “absolutely abhorrent” but avoided saying whether she still backed his campaign. “It is up to voters to make an individual choice based on this information,” she said when pressed.
When moderator Deanna Allbrittin asked if Spanberger was still endorsing Jones, the Democrat again refused to answer, instead repeating that “it’s up to every voter to make their own individual decision.”
Jones’s violent remarks, first reported by National Review, included a 2022 text saying, “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” referencing GOP House leader Todd Gilbert. He also wrote that he would attend Republican funerals to “piss on their graves” and told a colleague he wished Gilbert’s wife could watch her children die.
Earle-Sears said Spanberger’s silence shows “a failure of leadership.” The controversy threatens to derail Spanberger’s campaign as Democrats face mounting pressure to denounce Jones’s comments.
