Virginia Democrat Jay Jones has become one of the most controversial candidates for state attorney general in a generation. Reports of his comments fantasizing about shooting a Republican legislator and expressing hope for the death of the lawmaker’s “fascist” children have sparked bipartisan outrage.
New Hampshire Republican John Formella, president of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) — the nation’s largest and most influential organization of state attorneys general — has declined to comment. Despite repeated requests from NHJournal, Formella has refused to respond.
Jones, the Virginia Democratic Party’s nominee to challenge incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, faced backlash last week after a 2022 text conversation surfaced. In it, Jones said he wanted to “piss on the graves” of Republican legislators, joked about shooting one in the head, and wrote that he hoped the Republican’s wife would “watch her children die in her arms” to understand the consequences of GOP policies.
When confronted about his comments wishing death on a child, Jones doubled down. “Yes, I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy,” he said. He added that the Republican parents were “evil” and “breeding little fascists.”
That’s not the temperament most voters expect from a state’s top law enforcement officer. The controversy deepened when reports emerged that Jones had previously been convicted of driving 116 miles per hour—46 miles over the speed limit—and had served 500 hours of court-ordered community service working for his own political action committee.
Republicans, including the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), have called on Jones to withdraw. They are also demanding that the Democratic Attorneys General Association revoke any support for his campaign.
“No one who jokes about shooting political opponents or invoking the deaths of children belongs anywhere near the office of attorney general,” RAGA Chair Austin Knudsen said. “Jay Jones should withdraw immediately, and Democrats should make clear that this behavior will not be tolerated.”
Does Formella, who is a RAGA member, agree? Again, he declined to respond.
Another Democrat distancing herself from Jones is gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger. During a debate Thursday night, Spanberger took the unusual step of refusing to endorse her fellow Democrat.
“It’s up to the people,” she said.
Formella, a former legal counsel to Gov. Chris Sununu, is no stranger to politics. His name is often mentioned as a potential candidate for governor or Congress. But he has faced criticism for what some describe as slow—or ineffectual—responses to key cases, including allegations involving illegal mailings from an out-of-state Democratic print shop during New Hampshire’s 2022 GOP primary in the Second Congressional District.
More recently, Formella’s office filed criminal charges against a sitting state Supreme Court justice, Barbara Hantz Marconi, only to drop all charges and accept a no-contest plea to a Class B misdemeanor.
Now, the question is Jones’ fitness for office. If he wins the Virginia race, would Formella—then the outgoing NAAG president—welcome him as a member?
Formella has declined to say.
Following widespread backlash, Jones issued an apology, calling his texts “a grave mistake” and saying he was “embarrassed and ashamed” of his words. He said he had personally reached out to the Gilbert family to apologize and pledged to continue his campaign.
“I take full responsibility for my words,” Jones said. “They do not reflect who I am or how I intend to serve Virginians.”
But the apology has done little to quell the outrage.
Political observers say the scandal has dramatically shifted the tone of Virginia’s 2025 election season and could prove decisive in a state often viewed as a national bellwether.
“It’s not just what he said—it’s the kind of moral lapse voters don’t easily forget,” said political analyst Mark Rozell of George Mason University. “In a year when both parties are fighting for the center, this is a devastating blow.”
