In the closing days of Virginia’s gubernatorial race, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger has a problem she can’t quite shake, and she’s not happy about it. Jay Jones, the Democrat candidate for attorney general, sent vile messages years ago fantasizing about shooting a Republican leader and his children. The texts are indefensible, yet she refuses to take a clear and definitive moral stand against him. And that tells voters everything they need to know about the modern Democratic Party’s moral bankruptcy.
In one exchange, Jones joked about “three people, two bullets,” leaving no ambiguity about his violent fantasy and even invoking then-Speaker Todd Gilbert’s children in sickening, dehumanizing terms. When those messages surfaced, they set off shockwaves through Virginia and nationwide.
Instead of making a clean break, Spanberger chose to sidestep with some perfunctory statements about his comments being wrong, and said she told him to take responsibility.
Now, in a recent interview, she expressed shock that the scandal is hurting her campaign.
“If I'm being very honest, we are three weeks away from an election in Virginia,” she said. “I have worked tirelessly for two years running for this office. I announced in November 2023. The fact that I... And I say this with all due respect because, you know, I think it's a fair thing for you to ask about. The fact that I have to spend even a moment's time talking about somebody else's text messages from years ago rather than what I want to do as governor is something that I am deeply unhappy about.”
Abigail Spanberger complains about being forced to say that Jay Jones' texts were bad:
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 21, 2025
“The fact that I have to spend even a moment's time talking about somebody else’s text messages from years ago is something that I am deeply unhappy about.” pic.twitter.com/vWh3i2AS0R
Yeah, poor Abigail.
Is she really this clueless about why this matters? Does she really not get that her failure to condemn Jones and call for him to drop out is a reflection on her? Clearly not. She thinks she can glide through this scandal by talking about her agenda for Virginia, dusting off Barack Obama for an 11th-hour endorsement—as if there were ever any doubt whom he’d support—and hoping voters will forget that she couldn’t unequivocally condemn a man who fantasized about murdering the children of a political adversary in hopes it would change his mind on gun policy.
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Some Democrats are quietly admitting what’s becoming obvious—the Jay Jones scandal is dragging down their entire ticket. Momentum has shifted sharply toward Republicans in the home stretch. Attorney General Jason Miyares has pulled ahead in the polls, and Spanberger’s once-comfortable lead is slipping fast. Democrats have spent weeks twisting themselves into pretzels—condemning Jones’ vile words while refusing to say the one thing that actually matters: he shouldn’t be on the ballot. Their cowardice says it all. They’d rather protect a disgraced candidate than risk losing power.
Spanberger’s response reveals a deeper rot in her party’s priorities. Democrats spent years sermonizing about “restoring decency” and “rejecting political violence.” But when faced with genuine moral failure in their own ranks, they just look away.
And this isn’t an isolated issue. Spanberger’s handling of the Jones scandal mirrors the same instinct that’s defined Democratic leadership nationally: moral relativism. Rules and standards only apply when politically convenient. The party that calls for compassion and accountability can’t seem to practice either when one of their own crosses the line.
Spanberger could have ended the controversy in one sentence: “Jay Jones must withdraw from this race.” She didn’t. And that choice will haunt her politically, and could potentially thwart her campaign,
