RICHMOND, Va. — Two lawyers and former House of Delegates members — both from Hampton Roads — have gone head-to-head in one of the fiercest attorney general races that Virginia has seen.
Incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares is facing off against Democratic challenger, former Virginia Del. Jay Jones.
Beyond policy, previous actions, and future plans, an "October surprise" has emerged as a major focal point in this race.
Voter information
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day (Tuesday, November 4). As long as you're in line by 7 p.m., you will be able to vote. You need to vote at your precinct, not the registrar's office.
If you forget a valid ID or you're not registered to vote, you can vote using a provisional ballot. It will be counted separately and the registrar's office will confirm you're eligible and send it to the electoral board to approve or deny your ballot.
Candidate backgrounds
Miyares, 49, is the son of a Cuban immigrant and the first Hispanic American elected to statewide office in Virginia. He was born in North Carolina but grew up and went to school in Virginia Beach.
He graduated from James Madison University in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in business administration, then earned his Juris Doctorate from William & Mary Law School in 2005.
From 2016 to 2022, Miyares represented the 82nd district in the Virginia House of Delegates, becoming the first Cuban American elected to the General Assembly. In 2021, he won the Republican nomination for attorney general and later defeated Democratic incumbent Mark Herring.
Jones, 36, was born in Norfolk, where both of his parents worked in public office.
The Democratic candidate earned a bachelor's degree from the College of William & Mary before receiving his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2015.
In 2017, Jones won his bid to represent the 89th district in the Virginia House of Delegates — the same seat his father held from 1988 to 2002. He later ran an unsuccessful primary campaign against then-incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring in 2021. Later that year, Jones resigned from the House of Delegates after announcing that he and his wife were expecting their first child.
Threatening text message controversy
For most of the campaign season, Jones held a consistent — sometimes narrow — polling lead over the incumbent Republican. However, the tides turned in October when reports surfaced of text messages Jones sent in 2022.
In the messages, Jones talked about hypothetically shooting Speaker Todd Gilbert and expressed wishes of violence against Gilbert's children. They were sent to Del. Carrie Coyner, who has confirmed receiving the messages. The Democratic candidate himself admitted to sending the texts.
"In my opinion, he has disqualified himself. I don't think he passes the most basic test of decency to wish violence on children and to want to see a political assassination of your opponent — I don't think that's acceptable," Miyares told News 3.
Jones' messages were condemned by his Democratic associates on the statewide ticket. Republican gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, has attempted to use this controversy against her Democratic opponent, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger. Earle-Sears, along with plenty of other GOP leaders, have criticized Spanberger for not urging Jones to drop out of the race.
Jones did take full responsibility for the messages, issuing an apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family. He echoed this sentiment during his interview with News 3 before pivoting to criticize how Miyares has operated under the Trump administration.
"I've taken accountability for my actions, and it's now time for Jason to take accountability for his and his failure to prosecute any case against Donald Trump. He's had more than 50 opportunities to hold the administration accountable, and he can't do it because he is too weak to stand up to the president," Jones said.
AG candidates spar over character, crime policy at University of Richmond debate
Both candidates met for a formal debate at the University of Richmond on Oct. 16.
Miyares harped on the threatening text controversy and Jones' previous speeding conviction in an attempt to question the character of his Democratic opponent.
"We have seen a window to who Jay Jones is and the way he thinks of people that disagree with him. Abraham Lincoln said the character is what you do in the dark when no one is watching. But now we know what he was doing in the dark," Miyares said.
"I cannot take back what I said, but you have my word that I will always be accountable for my mistakes, and you also have my word that I will spend every waking moment fighting for you," Jones said.
The candidates also sparred on crime policy, with Miyares charging that Jones was soft on crime and had never prosecuted a criminal case. Jones countered that he had taken on the gun lobby and watched his own mother prosecute violent offenders.
"For the last nine months, Donald Trump has run roughshod over this commonwealth. Jason Miyares has had more than 50 opportunities to sue the administration to protect our values, our ideals and the things we hold near and dear," Jones said.
"My interest is fighting the fights and putting the bad guys away, out of our streets. That has been our record. That was my promise to you. This office is an executive office. If Jay Jones wants to fight the fights in Washington, he should run for Congress," Miyares said.
How the Trump administration has played a role
Jones' campaign has focused heavily on portraying his Republican opponent as being too obedient to the Trump administration. The Democratic candidate has regularly claimed that Miyares has put the need of President Donald Trump before the needs of Virginians. Specifically, in reference to the mass federal firings that took place under the "Department of Government Efficiency."
"Well, look, his record is one of failure to stand up to the president. In these last nine months, he's had over 50 chances to hold this, this administration accountable, and he's not done it, and it's because he's too weak and too scared to stand up to Donald Trump," Jones said. "That's what this race is about, holding the president and this administration accountable during these challenging times when people are out of work because they were illegally fired," Jones said.
Miyares denied not taking action against the Trump administration, adding that the attorney general position should be less politically slanted.
"I sued this administration, the current administration, at the VA administration, over denial of benefits," Miyares said. "The single biggest mission you have in the Attorney General's Office is not politics, it's prosecution. So this shows he doesn't know what office he's running for."
It should be noted, Miyares is the only Republican on the statewide ticket to be directly endorsed by the president. This endorsement came after Trump took to social media to comment on the threatening text controversy, calling on Jones to drop out of the race.
The price tag of campaigning
Both candidates have raised a combined total of over $39 million along the campaign trail, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Currently, Miyares has a fundraising lead, with over $25 million raised; Jones has raised $14 million.
Polling performances
Christopher Newport University's Wason Center for Civic Leadership released its final poll — which was conducted from Oct. 21 to 23 — just over a week before Election Day. It put Miyares one percentage point ahead of Jones in a 46% to 45% split. When compared to the Oct. 6 CNU poll, Jones lost four percentage points while Miyares gained three percentage points. It should be noted, this race still polled within the survey's +/-4.1% margin of error.
Miyares' jump in the polls was also reflected in a recent study released by Virginia Commonwealth University's Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, which was published on Oct. 21.
Jones trailed Miyares by three percentage points in a 45% to 42% split, according to VCU's latest poll. The survey was conducted from Oct. 6 to 14, so it is not yet known what impact, if any, the Oct. 16 attorney general debate may have had.
