The highly contentious election for Virginia attorney general between the Democratic nominee, former Del. Jay Jones D-Norfolk and incumbent Republican Jason Miyares, is tightening. The race is breathing new life into the questions surrounding the federal government’s investigations into the University and how the University can respond. And after scandals brought forth calls for Jones to drop out, some students say they will no longer vote for him.
The race was thrust into the national spotlight when the National Review reported Oct. 3 that Jones had sent violent text messages about then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert and other Republicans, to Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield in 2022.
The attorney general’s race also has large implications for the University following the resignation of former University President Jim Ryan. The Cavalier Daily previously reported that the University likely would not have been able to defend itself from the Justice Department without Miyares’ approval, because the school’s University counsel is appointed by the attorney general. With Miyares in office, he did not stand up to the Trump administration in its investigations into the University.
Having rejected the Compact and now signing a new deal with the Justice Department, the importance of the attorney general’s race for the University continues. Benjamin Muhlendorf, first-year College student and a first-time voter, shared his thoughts on the importance of the race for the University in the wake of recent federal pressure.
“I think [the attorney general election] is pretty critical for the success of the University,” Muhlendorf said. “[What] we just saw with the whole Compact thing, that's certainly not over. It’s going to keep playing out. Having an attorney general who’s going to stand up for the students of the University, and the faculty … that’s really, really important.”
At the attorney general debate Oct. 9 at the University of Richmond, both Jones and Miyares were asked a question about academic freedom and the University’s now-rejected Compact with the federal government. The Compact would have prioritized signatories for federal funding so long as they agreed to adhere to specific provisions in line with the Trump administration’s policies. Miyares argued that, unlike other schools in the country, Virginia’s universities have not been punished financially by the Trump administration.
”Here’s a reality, you can look at every Virginia state school. Not a single school has lost a single dime of any funding, or any research,” Miyares said. “[Compare that with] other schools. Harvard and Columbia … have been hit with $400 million [dollars in] fines … What we do in Virginia is we protect our schools vigorously … [and] you can see the results.”
Vice President for Research Lori McMahon previously reported that $73.6 million in research grants had been terminated at the University alone as of Aug. 26.
Later in the evening, Miyares argued that he is not loyal to one administration or the other, pointing out that he has sued both administrations in his time as attorney general.
Jones said that he felt Miyares’ office did not do enough to defend Ryan or the University itself in the buildup to Ryan’s resignation.
”I was a law student when then-Professor Jim Ryan was [at U.Va], and he was adored, revered,” Jones said. “For him to have been put in a position to make that choice [to resign] is utterly despicable. The attorney general’s office is supposed to advise and support and protect our public institutions … We have not gotten that from [Miyares].”
Notably, Miyares’ office is defending the University in a lawsuit that sought to allow Democrats to block Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s appointments to the governing boards of higher-education institutions across the Commonwealth, including at the University. Senate Democrats successfully argued in a lawsuit brought before the Fairfax County Circuit Court that Youngkin appointees, serving without the confirmation of the Virginia General Assembly, were doing so illegally. If Jones is elected, he would have the opportunity to settle this case and decline to litigate the issue further.
The text messages, in which Jones discussed shooting Gilbert, were also a heavy focus of the debate. Jones implied he hoped Gilbert’s children would “die in their mother’s arms” in order to move him to act on gun violence, drawing immediate condemnation from politicians across the political spectrum, including all four party leaders in the Virginia General Assembly.
The Democratic nominees for governor and lieutenant governor, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger and State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, also issued statements online condemning the messages. Jones apologized for the texts in a statement and during the debate.
“I’m ashamed, I’m embarrassed and I’m sorry,” Jones said.
Many Republican politicians, including President Donald Trump, have called on Jones to withdraw from the race. The statement, which Trump released on Truth Social condemning Jones’ messages as “SICK” and “DEMENTED,” was also the first time he endorsed a Republican in Virginia this election cycle.
Gianna Hunsche, secretary of the University’s College Republicans and second-year College student, shared her thoughts on the messages when weighing in on the race.
“The messages that Jay Jones sent out to his co-worker are … absolutely disgusting,” Hunsche said. “The kind of rhetoric that he was displaying was advocating for political violence, and I just don’t think that has a place in our political climate today.”
Hunsche also said that while she believes Jones should drop out of the race, the responsibility is on his endorsers to call on him to do so and to pull their support.
“I think [Spanberger and others] should have … at the bare minimum … rescinded their endorsements,” Hunsche said. “When you … are still endorsing a candidate where a very central part of the news around his campaign are those texts … by omission you are endorsing that behavior.”
Brianna Sharpe, president of the University Democrats and fourth-year College student, shared a statement to The Cavalier Daily with her thoughts on the race.
“The AG race will certainly be the tightest top of the ticket race this election season. A factor of this is of course the recent Jay Jones texts. What he said is appalling,” Sharpe said. “It is up to voters to decide on the personal level if this is disqualifying for them.”
Given the fact that a large number of voters have already cast a ballot, it likely would not be possible for Jones to be replaced with a new Democratic nominee. If Jones did withdraw from the race, he would remain on all ballots, and votes cast for him would not count. Additionally, a notice would be put up at every polling place in the Commonwealth indicating that Jones is no longer a qualified candidate, effectively leaving Miyares unopposed.
While it is likely that Jones retains an advantage in a traditionally-Democratic city like Charlottesville, there were a number of students who indicated that the messages were enough to sway their vote for Miyares.
Second-year College student Caleb Quiroga is among them. Quiroga said that while he had some previous concerns about Jones’ record, after some uncertainty, he ultimately planned to support him before the news about the messages broke.
”I was a bit back and forth throughout the whole race,” Quiroga said. “I had gotten my ballot right before the scandal had happened … I was going to vote for Jay Jones, and then the scandal came out, and that’s when I decided that I could not, in good conscience, [vote] for someone who says things like that.”
Third-year College student Henry Grieco shared a similar experience, saying that the texts should disqualify anyone running for public office.
”I was just kind of assuming I was going to vote for the Democrat, Jay Jones,” Grieco said. “Since the … Jay Jones texts were leaked, I changed my opinion, and I ended up voting for Miyares early a couple weeks ago.”
Grieco also said that he is disappointed with the way other Democrats responded to the situation.
”I think they should have told him to drop out of the race immediately … [or] come out and [denounced] him … the [recent] spike in political violence can’t be disassociated from this,” Grieco said. “These statements cannot go unnoticed. [I think] they need to be … rooted out immediately and shunned from politics.”
Quiroga said he believes that at this point, many people are familiar with the messages, but he is unconvinced that it will affect the decision of most students, as most people he knows support the full Democratic ticket. Grieco said that he is almost certainly in the minority of Democrats who will split their ticket and that voters who cast a vote in other races but leave the attorney general ballot blank could increase this year.
Sharpe, while not revealing her or UDems’ preference one way or the other, pointed out the ability to defend the University from outside interference as an important factor.
“When looking at the records of both candidates in the context of this university, it is important to note that the AG is responsible for the U.Va. legal counsel, who provides legal services to the university and its medical center, representing the Rector and Visitors in all legal matters,” Sharpe said.
How the developments are affecting the state of the race also remains to fully be seen. Kyle Kondik, the managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, shared some insight.
“Even as Spanberger remains clearly favored to be the next governor, the AG race has become much more unpredictable thanks to the … messages combined with Miyares’ pre-existing money advantage, which gives him the ability to spread the word about the story,” Kondik said.
Assuming Spanberger is elected governor, Kondik said that her margin of victory will be key in determining whether Miyares can remain competitive. The smaller Spanberger’s margin is, the fewer of her voters Miyares must convince to support him, as well. The latest poll of the race from State Navigate, released Wednesday, showed Spanberger with a 13-point lead and Jones with a five-point lead — an eight-point gap between the two Democrats.
“If Spanberger wins by a 2017-esque margin in the gubernatorial race — Democrat Ralph Northam won by 9 points that year — there may just not be enough ticket-splitting to win,” Kondik said.
Muhlendorf said he believes that while Jones’ messages were unbecoming of a state attorney general the decision should still come down to the differences in the candidates’ platforms.
“Obviously this has … negatively impacted my assessment of Jay Jones, but I don’t think that necessarily means that Miyares is … now a better candidate than he was two weeks ago. I still want to evaluate both candidates on the merits of what they’re saying,” Muhlendorf said.
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