During Virginia’s inaugural gubernatorial debate on Thursday, Democrat Abigail Spanberger was presented with several chances to renounce her support for controversial attorney general candidate Jay Jones, yet she consistently declined to do so.
The discussion surrounding Jones’ offensive text messages about the former GOP House speaker’s deserving “two bullets” to the head arose early in the contentious exchange between Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears who highlighted the scandal in response to the moderator’s opening question, which did not involve Jones.
“Abigail, when will you tell Jay Jones, ‘You need to exit the race?’” Earle-Sears queried Spanberger.
“He has implied he wants to kill his political opponent, and worse – threatened the children of his opponent,” the lieutenant governor pressed.
Spanberger chose to remain silent.
“My opponent must respond regarding Jay Jones,” Earle-Sears insisted.
Moderator Deanna Allbrittin then asked Spanberger when she became aware of Jones’ disturbing texts from August 2022, and if she still supports him as a candidate for Virginia’s chief prosecutor.
“The remarks made by Jay Jones are completely reprehensible. I condemned them as soon as I learned about them,” Spanberger replied, emphasizing the necessity for candidates on both sides to denounce violent speech.
The moderator pointed out that Spanberger did not address the endorsement question at all.
“I didn’t hear a response regarding the endorsement. Will you continue to endorse Jay Jones for attorney general, and were you aware of these texts prior to their release?” Allbrittin repeated.
Spanberger suggested that the Republicans had knowledge of Jones’ messages but chose to keep them hidden, prompting Earle-Sears to interject, “When did you know and what action did you take?”
“I found out about these messages the day they surfaced and condemned them immediately,” Spanberger answered.
She continued, “Crucially, the voters now have access to this information that was presumably withheld from them for political gain, and it is up to the voters to make informed choices based on these revelations.”
When pressed again by the moderator about her support for Jones, Spanberger refrained from providing a clear response.
“It’s up to each individual voter to make their own decision,” she stated.
“What you’re implying is that at this moment, you still back Jay Jones for attorney general?” Allbrittin pressed, trying to clarify Spanberger’s position.
“I’m saying, as of now, each voter must decide for themselves,” Spanberger replied.
Next, Earle-Sears was questioned about President Trump’s remarks, “I hate my opponent and I do not wish the best for them,” made during conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s funeral, which the lieutenant governor recognized she would not have expressed.
Turning back to Spanberger, Earle-Sears made an emotional appeal for her to urge Jones to step down.
“Jay Jones encouraged the murder of a man, a former speaker, and threatened his children who are just two and five years old, Abigail,” the Republican stated directly to her opponent.
“You have young daughters. What would it take for you to take a stand? Would it require him actually pulling the trigger for you to declare he should leave the race?” Earle-Sears questioned.
Spanberger maintained a stoic demeanor and avoided making eye contact with Earle-Sears throughout the confrontation.
“Abigail? You have nothing to say? What if he threatened your three children? Would that compel you to demand he withdraw from the campaign? You’re aspiring to be governor, Abigail,” Earle-Sears pressed on, as Spanberger continued to ignore her.
“Show some political courage,” demanded the lieutenant governor. “Your actions reflect calculated political considerations regarding your hopes for the governorship.
“As governor, making tough choices is paramount. That includes telling Jay Jones to exit the race.”
