Jay Jones scandal throws Virginia Democrats into crisis

A scandal over resurfaced texts from Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones has Democrats in a catch-22. The big picture: A month before Election Day, pushing Jones off the ticket could fracture Democrats' chances in a pivotal statewide race seen as a bellwether for next year.But standing by him risks reinforcing Republican attacks about double standards on political violence.State of play: Leading Virginia Democrats, including the statewide ticket, have condemned the comments Jones made in 2022 suggesting a hypothetical scenario in which he would shoot the then-Republican House speaker and wished harm on his children. But none have called for Jones to step aside.Meanwhile, Republicans — including President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Gov. Glenn Youngkin — are demanding that Jones immediately drop out of the race.MAGA podcaster Jack Posobiec, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and right-wing commentator Matt Walsh have claimed the texts as proof of increasingly hostile rhetoric toward conservatives.And the GOP incumbent, Jason Miyares, has launched a $1.5 million ad campaign over the messages that will run for a week.What they're saying: Jones, a former state delegate who resigned in 2021 to focus on his family, said in a statement Friday that "I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry" for his texts about then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert.But he initially framed the messages — first reported by National Review and independently verified by Axios — as part of a smear campaign in comments to Virginia Scope.One of the texts said, "Gilbert gets two bullets to the head." Another said Gilbert and his wife are "breeding little fascists."Miyares, who Trump endorsed this weekend, said on Saturday that "I don't accept his apology" but stopped short of calling for Jones to withdraw.Zoom in: Gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears and lieutenant governor nominee John Reid are pressuring their opponents on social media to call on Jones to drop out.Jones, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger and lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi's campaigns didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.Between the lines: The texts come days after the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that Jones was caught going 116 miles per hour in a 70mph zone in 2022 and did 500 hours of community service at his own political action committee.It also comes weeks after early voting first began. As of Sunday, over 355,000 Virginians had voted, per VPAP.What we're watching: National and state Republicans believe the texts could help Miyares hang onto the AG position in an off-year cycle that typically punishes the party controlling the White House, reports Axios' Hans Nichols.Virginians haven't split their ticket in a statewide election since 2005.Go deeper: GOP unveils 7-figure ad campaign on "two bullets" text by Jay Jones