Jay Jones Scandal Erupts, GOP Raises Millions
“Jason Miyares is surging in the polls and RAGA has been overwhelmed with millions in new donations.”
The Virginia attorney general race has been upended by Democrat Jay Jones’ violent text scandal, with Republicans capitalizing on the controversy to fuel a massive fundraising surge for incumbent Jason Miyares.
According to Fox News Digital, the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) has now poured a record-breaking $8.5 million into the Miyares campaign—an unprecedented figure for the organization. The latest infusion came on Friday, when RAGA added $2.5 million after dropping $2 million earlier in the week.
RAGA Executive Director Adam Piper credited the scandal for igniting donor enthusiasm and reshaping the race entirely:
“Jason Miyares is surging in the polls and RAGA has been overwhelmed with millions in new donations, allowing us to double our investment in Virginia over the last week,” Piper told Fox News Digital.
He added that RAGA has been “all in on Miyares from the outset,” but that the recent revelations “completely changed the dynamics of the race.”
Internal GOP polling conducted by Cygnal on October 6–7 shows a dramatic 21-point drop in Jones’ favorability compared to just a month ago. The same poll found Miyares leading by two points—an early sign that the scandal has made a measurable impact in what was once considered a competitive race.
The texts at the center of the controversy reportedly date back to 2022, when Jones allegedly fantasized about the violent death of a Republican lawmaker. The discovery has drawn national attention and widespread condemnation:
“The GOP attorneys general group this week released internal polling… that found a sharp drop of 21 points in Jones’ favorability compared to one month ago,” Fox News Digital reported.
Even Democrats have been forced to distance themselves from Jones. While gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger and other Democratic leaders have “disavowed the texts,” none have gone as far as demanding that Jones withdraw from the race.
With early voting already underway, the fallout from the texts threatens to overshadow the rest of the Democratic ticket. As Fox News noted, RAGA has outspent every other political committee “up and down the gubernatorial race ticket,” breaking its own 2017 record in the process.
Piper summarized the mood among GOP donors simply:
“The texting incident has driven new interest from donors, which has allowed the group to up its investment in the race.”
Whether this late surge proves decisive remains to be seen—but the damage to Jones’ campaign appears unmistakable.
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Comments
Does this count as an October surprise?
Yes, of course it does. The GOP sat on it until exactly a month before the election.
And sat on it until after early voting started in Virginia too.
Never rule out GOP incompetence …
Who knows? This is VA where Democrat voters nearly elected someone engaged in the business of selling sex shows.
As an aside, this present case is yet another reason why the abomination of early voting (a Soros inspired achievement?) should be eliminated in favor of the admittedly radical concept of one Election Day.
100% agree on early voting is an issue.
What will matter is if the North Virginia / south DCvote overwhelmed the commonsensical people that live at the rest of the state.
They always do. The Red rural counties of Southwestern Virginia, where Trump signs abound, simply don’t have near the population density of the deep Blue Virginia DC suburbs. Four years ago Youngkin managed to increase turnout in those Red regions while also far outpacing Trump in Blue Northern Virginia. He capitalized on voter disenchantment with the school closures. And, of course, it was before Dobbs.
As much as I want Miyares to be re-elected as AG, it’s the likelihood of one party rule under Spanberger that scares me. Sears lacks the charisma and the organization that Youngkin had.
Some poll said 97% of the democrats still support the savage
We aren’t going to vote our way out of this
… just as soon get this civil war going
In general Dems vote for Dems and Republicans vote for Republicans. 70M people voted for Harris who was a horrendously awful candidate. Independents decide the outcome.
I read an interview with Larry Sabato who said that Democratic politicians who have publicly denounced the texts but stopped short of calling for Jones to step down, privately are livid. At this late date he can’t be replaced on the ballot.
Sears also dissed President Trump when she thought Youngkin was jumping into 2020 Presidential race
Such a baddd idea
Not a smart move by Sears. She should have kept those thoughts to herself. Trump hasn’t endorsed Sears but has, of course, criticized Spanberger. In general endorsements don’t mean much anyway and in Virginia a Trump endorsement is almost poison. Youngkin never mentioned Trump during his campaign except when calling out McAuliffe in the debate when he tried to bootstrap Youngkin to Trump.
“The wicked become even worse when they are tolerated.”
-Tolstoy
it should also be noted that not a single endorsement has been pulled. Also not one Democrat has called for
Jones to drop out. Also over 90 percent of Dems say it is ok to use violence against your opponents.
wonder what “ft sumpter” moment
to kick off Civil war II
If Jones drops out it’s too late to replace him. It would mean the D’s were conceding to Miyares. That ain’t gonna happen. As long as Jones remains on the ballot they are forcing Republicans to work and spend $$$ to keep his position, even if it seems likely that Jones will lose.
Spanberger also disavowed the Tate-LaBianca murders, but not Charlie Manson.