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Jay Jones

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For other people named Jay Jones, see Jay Jones (disambiguation).

Jay Jones
Jones in 2025
Attorney General-elect of Virginia
Assuming office
January 17, 2026
GovernorAbigail Spanberger (elect)
SucceedingJason Miyares
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 89th district
In office
January 10, 2018 – January 2, 2022
Preceded byDaun Hester
Succeeded byJackie Glass
Personal details
BornJerrauld Charles Corey Jones
(1989-03-14) March 14, 1989 (age 36)
Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Spouse
Mavis Baah
​
(m. 2020)​
Children2
RelativesJerrauld Jones (father)
EducationCollege of William & Mary (BA)
University of Virginia (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website

Jerrauld Charles Corey "Jay" Jones (born March 14, 1989) is an American politician and attorney who is the attorney general-elect of Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates for the 89th district from 2018 to 2022.[1][2][3]

Born in Norfolk, Jones is the son of former Norfolk Circuit Court judge Jerrauld Jones. He graduated from the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia School of Law.[4] After he was elected to the House of Delegates in 2017, Jones ran for Attorney General in 2021, losing the Democratic primary to incumbent Mark Herring, despite receiving an endorsement from governor Ralph Northam.[5][6][7] Jones ran again for Attorney General in 2025, and he defeated Shannon Taylor in the Democratic primary and incumbent Republican Jason Miyares in the general election.[8] Jones campaigned on opposition to president Donald Trump and the policies of Miyares.[9]

During his campaign for attorney general, Jones received widespread condemnation after text messages from 2022 surfaced in which he "mused about violence" against the then-state house speaker Todd Gilbert and his children.[10] Jones "fantasized" about Gilbert being shot and "wished" Gilbert's children would die, among other things.[11][12][13] Jones will be the first African American to serve as the attorney general.[14]

Early life and education

[edit]

Jones was born in Norfolk to family court judge Lyn M. Simmons and Jerrauld Jones, a presiding judge for Norfolk's circuit court who held the 89th district seat in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1988 to 2002.[4] His paternal grandparents are Hilary H. Jones Jr. (an attorney and civil rights pioneer in Norfolk)[15] and Corinne D. Jones (a Norfolk school teacher). His maternal grandparents are Charles and Margaret Simmons, who were tenured professors at Norfolk State University and Hampton University, respectively.

Jones attended Norfolk Collegiate School and graduated in 2006. He then went on to attend the College of William & Mary as a William & Mary Scholar. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and history.[15] During college, Jones served as a legislative intern for Paula Miller in 2009.

Early career

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After college, Jones spent two years in New York City as an associate with Goldman Sachs, where he focused on risk management and credit rating advisory, focusing on natural resources and technology companies.[8] He then returned to Virginia and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2015. While in law school, Jones interned in the office of state delegate Algie Howell.[4]

Virginia House of Delegates

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On February 13, 2017, Jones announced his candidacy for the 89th district of the Virginia House of Delegates, running for the same seat his father held from 1988 to 2002.[16] The Democratic incumbent, Daun Hester, announced she would not run for reelection.[15] He won the contested Democratic primary on June 13, 2017,[17] and won the November 7, 2017 general election against Libertarian Terry Hurst.[18][19][20]

He ran for reelection unopposed in the 2019 election cycle.[21] Jones was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee at the beginning of his second term. In September 2019, Jones endorsed Cory Booker in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[22]

In January 2022, Jones resigned from the Virginia House of Delegates following the announcement that he and his wife were expecting their first child in summer 2022. Fellow Democrat Jackie Glass was elected to succeed him in a special election held on January 11, 2022.[23][24]

Elections

[edit]

2021

[edit]
Main article: 2021 Virginia Attorney General election § Democratic primary

Jones was a candidate in the Democratic primary in the 2021 Virginia Attorney General election, where he faced incumbent Mark Herring.[5] Jones criticized Herring over the incumbent's blackface controversy. Jones lost the June 8, 2021 primary to Herring.[7]

2025

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Main article: 2025 Virginia Attorney General election

Jones ran for and won the Democratic nomination for the 2025 Virginia Attorney General election against Shannon Taylor.[25] He defeated Republican incumbent Jason Miyares in the general election amidst a wave election for the Democrats.[26][27]

Violent messages and subsequent fallout

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In October 2025, Jones came under fire for an August 2022 text message conversation with his former Republican delegate colleague Carrie Coyner, in which Jones made "threatening messages" and used "graphic and violent language" against the then–state house speaker Todd Gilbert and his family.[28][29] Jones, who was not in the legislature at the time, stated that if he had two bullets and could shoot Gilbert, Adolf Hitler, or Pol Pot, Gilbert "gets two bullets to the head".[30][31] Jones acknowledged that he had talked about hoping Gilbert's children would die because "Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy", before describing Gilbert and his wife as "evil" and "breeding little fascists".[32][33][34]

The impetus for Jones's texts to Coyner was his anger at the eulogies Republican legislators had for former delegate Joseph P. Johnson, a moderate Democrat, who had recently died, with Jones disparaging "Johnson's political centrism".[35][36] Jones said of Republican legislators who gave tributes about Johnson that "If those guys die before me I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves" and said that it will "Send them out awash in something".[37][36][38]

Jones at a rally with Abigail Spanberger and Ghazala Hashmi in Fairfax

The comments were made public by National Review in October 2025 during Jones' campaign for Attorney General, and received bipartisan condemnation, including by fellow Democratic nominees former representative Abigail Spanberger and state senator Ghazala Hashmi.[39] Numerous prominent Republicans, including president Donald Trump, vice president JD Vance, governor Glenn Youngkin, and Republican gubernatorial nominee lieutenant governor Winsome Earle-Sears have all requested for Jones to drop out of the election due to these messages.[40][41] Jones has acknowledged that he sent these texts and apologized to Gilbert and his family. Jason Miyares publicly stated that he "does not accept his apology", stating that Jones "had a chance then to apologize", and that he "is sorry only after it made the news".[42]

After the story broke, Coyner said in an interview that Jones made charged comments during a phone conversation on qualified immunity in 2020.[43][44][45] Jones allegedly said "if a few police officers died, then maybe they would stop killing people".[44] Jones denied making the comment.[44]

After the comments were publicly disclosed, polling conducted showed that the race was narrowing, with results indicating a statistical tie or his opponent leading, marking a shift from his earlier lead that received notable coverage in reporting on the campaign.[46][47] Most undecided voters, however, ended up supporting Jones, with most undecided voters leaning towards Jones as shown in the final polls.[48][49] Jones's strong performance with undecided voters is likely an example of social-desirability bias, also known as shy voter syndrome, where people are hesitant to reveal their voting preferences for candidates involved in scandals.[50]

Reckless driving conviction and investigation

[edit]

On January 21, 2022, a year after his first run for attorney general, a Virginia State Trooper clocked him speeding on Interstate 64 at 116 miles per hour – 46 over the speed limit – resulting in a reckless driving conviction in New Kent County. Of the 1,000 hours of community service he performed as part of his plea deal, 500 were for his own political action committee and the other 500 were for the NAACP Virginia State Conference.[51][52] On October 22, 2025, a New Kent County Circuit Court judge approved a special prosecutor to investigate Jones's plea deal.[53][54] On October 25, 2025, a new special prosecutor was appointed after the previous one recused himself.[55]

Virginia Attorney General

[edit]

Jones selected former Democratic governor Ralph Northam to co-chair his transition effort.[56] He also spoke with Democratic governor-elect Abigail Spanberger to help ease tensions between the two during his transition period, and they discussed public safety measures in the Commonwealth.[56]

One of his first actions upon being Attorney General-elect was to seek an extension to Virginia's universal background check gun laws after a Lynchburg Circuit Court ruled that it unconstitutionally discriminated against adults aged 18 to 20. Miyares had previously declined to appeal the decision.[57]

Personal life

[edit]

Jones is Catholic. He is a lifelong member of the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Norfolk.[58]

Jones was introduced by a friend to public relations media manager Mavis Baah in 2017.[59] They married in September 2020. The couple has two sons. Baah is the daughter of Janna Baah from Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Anthony Baah from Accra, Ghana. The Baah family immigrated to the United States when Mavis was five years old.[4][59]

Electoral history

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Date Election Candidate Party Votes %
Virginia House of Delegates, 89th district
June 13, 2017[60] Primary Jerrauld "Jay" Jones Democratic 5,242 66.19
Joe W. Dillard Democratic 2,678 33.81
Daun Sessoms Hester did not seek re-election
November 7, 2017[61] General Jerrauld "Jay" Jones Democratic 16,541 84.49
Terry Hurst Libertarian 2,944 15.04
Write Ins 97 0.47
November 5, 2019[62] General Jerrauld "Jay" Jones Democratic 14,398 96.18
Write Ins 571 3.82
November 2, 2021[63] General Jerrauld "Jay" Jones Democratic 17,450 79.85
Hahns Copeland Republican 4,340 19.86
Write Ins 63 0.29
2021 Virginia Attorney General election Democratic primary results[64]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mark Herring (incumbent) 274,736 56.63
Democratic Jay Jones 210,365 43.37
Total votes 485,101 100.00
2025 Virginia Attorney General election Democratic primary[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jay Jones 252,976 51.11
Democratic Shannon Taylor 241,969 48.89
Total votes 494,945 100.00
2025 Virginia Attorney General election[65]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jay Jones 1,804,940 53.14% +3.59%
Republican Jason Miyares (incumbent) 1,577,843 46.45% −3.91%
Write-in 13,716 0.40% +0.31%
Total votes 3,396,499 100.00% N/A
Democratic gain from Republican

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bischoff – Martingayle » Jerrauld C.C. "Jay" Jones". bischoffmartingayle.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  2. ^ "Virginia Attorney General Results 2025". NBC News. November 4, 2025. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "2025 June Democratic Primary". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d "Mavis Baah Jones, 32, public relations and media manager, PRA Group | Top 40 Under 40". The Virginian-Pilot. October 12, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Schneider, Gregory. "Norfolk Del. Jay Jones announces bid for Democratic nomination for Virginia attorney general". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  6. ^ Otey, Jazmine (March 4, 2021). "Gov. Ralph Northam endorses Jay Jones over incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring". WSLS. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "DDHQ Election Results". results.decisiondeskhq.com. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Markus Schmidt (November 12, 2025). "Former Virginia delegate Jay Jones launches second bid for attorney general".
  9. ^ "6 takeaways from the debate in Virginia AG race rocked by a texting scandal". washingtonpost.com.
  10. ^ Svirnovskiy, Gregory (October 4, 2025). "Democratic candidate's 'abhorrent' texts threaten to shake up bellwether Virginia elections". Politico. Retrieved October 26, 2023. Virginia's Democratic nominee for attorney general, where he mused about violence directed toward a political rival.
  11. ^ Vargas, Ramon Antonio (November 7, 2025). "Virginia Republican who shared violent texts from prominent Democrat loses re-election". The Guardian. Retrieved October 26, 2023. Prominent Democratic candidate fantasized about a rival receiving "two bullets to the head".
  12. ^ Smith, John (October 4, 2025). "Virginia Elections: Jay Jones's Texts Spark Outrage". Politico. Retrieved October 26, 2023. In October 2025, text messages were leaked showing Jay Jones wishing death for kids of his political opponents.
  13. ^ Booker, Brakkton (October 8, 2025). "Jay Jones texting scandal breathes new life into GOP push in Virginia". Politico. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  14. ^ Murphy, Ryan (November 5, 2025). "Norfolk Democrat Jay Jones wins, will become Virginia's first Black Attorney General". WHRO Public Media.
  15. ^ a b c "Jerrauld 'Jay' Jones To Run For 89th Delegate". New Journal and Guide. February 16, 2017. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  16. ^ 89th district: Elections. Virginia Public Access Project site
  17. ^ "Jay Jones wins big in 89th House District Democratic primary". The Virginian-Pilot =. June 13, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  18. ^ "Jones wins Virginia House of Delegates 89th District". The Virginian-Pilot. November 7, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  19. ^ Virginia Elections Database: district 89 at Virginia Department of Elections site
  20. ^ 2017 election results for 89th district at Virginia Public Access Project site
  21. ^ "Virginia Election Results". The New York Times. November 8, 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  22. ^ Feld, Lowell (September 11, 2019). "Virginia Del. Jay Jones (D-HD89) Endorses Cory Booker for President; Booker Plans Trip to Virginia "In the Coming Weeks."". Blue Virginia. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  23. ^ Sullivan, Ali (December 17, 2021). "Special election to fill Jay Jones' 89th District seat set for Jan. 11". pilotonline.com. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  24. ^ "Glass projected to win special election for 89th House of Delegates seat, Dolmo concedes". January 11, 2022.
  25. ^ "Virginia Attorney General Primary Election Results". The New York Times. June 17, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  26. ^ "Democrat Jay Jones wins Virginia AG race, overcoming backlash to his violent texts". NBC News.
  27. ^ Schmidt, Markus (November 5, 2025). "Blue wave rebuilds the House: Democrats soar to at least 64 seats in Virginia • Virginia Mercury".
  28. ^ Qin, Amy (October 4, 2025). "In Virginia A.G. Debate, Spotlight Is on Democratic Candidate's Violent Texts". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2025. Jones apologized for his threatening messages
  29. ^ Bradner, Eric (October 4, 2025). "Jay Jones' violent text messages take center stage in Virginia AG race debate against Jason Miyares". CNN. Retrieved October 4, 2025. The graphic and violent language directed at a colleague in text messages
  30. ^ @NRO (October 3, 2025). "National Review" (Tweet). Retrieved October 4, 2025 – via Twitter.
  31. ^ "Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general once suggested a top Republican should get 'bullets to the head,' text messages show". NBC News. October 4, 2025. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  32. ^ Seltzer, Kate (October 3, 2025). "Jay Jones texts from 2022 describe wanting to shoot former Virginia House speaker". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on October 3, 2025. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  33. ^ Bryson, Anna (October 3, 2025). "In 2022, Jay Jones texted about shooting House Speaker Todd Gilbert". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on October 3, 2025. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  34. ^ Svirnovskiy, Gregory (October 4, 2025). "Democratic candidate's 'abhorrent' texts threaten to shake up bellwether Virginia elections". Politico. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  35. ^ McKend, Eva (October 4, 2025). "Virginia's Democratic nominee for attorney general facing pressure over resurfaced text messages". CNN. Retrieved October 7, 2025. Jones was objecting to tributes of deceased former state legislator Joe Johnson Jr., who was a longtime moderate Democrat
  36. ^ a b Fahlberg, Audrey (October 3, 2025). "Dem AG Nominee Jay Jones Fantasized About Shooting Former Virginia GOP Speaker: 'He Receives Both Bullets'". National Review. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  37. ^ Mehrotra, Vani (October 4, 2025). "'Piss On Their Graves': Virginia Attorney General Nominee Jay Jones Under Fire Over Leaked Texts". CNN News18. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  38. ^ Armus, Teo; Cox, Erin; Schneider, Gregory S. (October 3, 2025). "Jay Jones's 2022 text messages roil race for Virginia attorney general". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  39. ^ Atkinson, Bill (October 3, 2025). "VA Democratic AG candidate under fire for texts about GOP colleague". The News Leader. Archived from the original on October 4, 2025. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  40. ^ Strack, Haley (October 5, 2025). "Trump Demands Jay Jones Drop Out of Virginia AG Race over 'Demented' Texts". National Review. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  41. ^ Strack, Haley (October 5, 2025). "Pressure Builds on Virginia Dems to Force Jay Jones Out of AG Race over Violent Texts". National Review. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  42. ^ Montilla, Desiree (October 7, 2025). "Jason Miyares reacts to Jay Jones' 'disturbing' 2022 text messages". WWBT. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  43. ^ Nichols, Hans (October 7, 2025). "Scoop: Jay Jones cancels Virginia fundraiser amid "two bullets" backlash". Axios. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  44. ^ a b c Manchester, Julia (October 6, 2025). "Pressure grows on Virginia Democratic candidate to quit after violent text messages". The Hill. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  45. ^ Laris, Michael (October 6, 2025). "Trump joins Republicans calling for Jay Jones to exit Virginia race". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  46. ^ "Poll: Support for Jay Jones drops in VA Attorney General race after texts leak". WSET. October 5, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  47. ^ "2025 Virginia Attorney General: Miyares vs. Jones". RealClearPolling. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  48. ^ Yancey, Dwayne (November 14, 2025). "The polls said the attorney general's race would be close. It wasn't. Here's what happened". Cardinal News.
  49. ^ Wetmore, Spencer Lieb, Leo Johnson, and Celeste (December 11, 2025). "Polling Accuracy in the 2025 Elections: Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City". University of Virginia Center for Politics.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  50. ^ Wetmore, Spencer Lieb, Leo Johnson, and Celeste (December 11, 2025). "Polling Accuracy in the 2025 Elections: Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City". University of Virginia Center for Politics. Retrieved December 12, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  51. ^ Bryson, Anna (October 1, 2025). "Jay Jones was convicted of reckless driving after speeding at 116 mph". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on October 1, 2025. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  52. ^ Fitzgerald, Bill (October 3, 2025). "Threatening Texts: Virginia Attorney General candidate Jay Jones issues apology". CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  53. ^ Minock, Nick (October 22, 2025). "Special prosecutor appointed in Jay Jones reckless driving community service investigation". WJLA. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  54. ^ Harper, Jane (October 22, 2025). "Special prosecutor appointed to investigate Jay Jones 2022 reckless driving case in New Kent". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  55. ^ Dujardin, Peter (October 4, 2025). "Prosecutor assigned to Jay Jones speeding and service case". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  56. ^ a b Qin, Amy (October 4, 2025). "Jay Jones prepares to take office — and put his violent text scandal behind him". NBC News. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  57. ^ Stanbridge, Alexia (December 10, 2025). "Attorney General-elect Jay Jones seeks extension in Virginia gun law appeal". WSET.
  58. ^ "Jay Jones | VIRGINIA". va.onair.cc. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  59. ^ a b Mallozzi, Vincent M. (October 2, 2020). "Their Matchmaker Was Right". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  60. ^ "2017 June Democratic Primary". Results.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  61. ^ "2017 November General". Results.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  62. ^ "Virginia Election Results: November 5, 2019". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  63. ^ "2021 November General". results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  64. ^ "2021 June Democratic Primary". Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  65. ^ O'Bannon, John (November 4, 2025). "2025 November General". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
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