Hundreds of Thousands Vote in Virginia Before Jay Jones Scandal

Hundreds of Thousands of Virginians Cast their Vote Before Jay Jones Scandal

Over 350,000 Virginians have cast their vote, and likely some for Jay Jones, before the his sanction of political violence

Published October 16, 2025

On October 3rd, private text messages between Jay Jones and a former house delegate were leaked where he mentioned killing Todd Gilbert.

The texts from 2022, include the fantasy from Jones referring to republican lawmaker Todd Gilbert saying “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” These messages were sent to Delegate Carrie Coyner after the death of Delegate (D) Joe Johnson.

Amongst other repulsive messages, these have been a center point for the Republican campaigns warning voters of the particularly disgusting democratic candidate. Including mentioning that Gilbert and his wife were “breeding little fascists.”

“Jay Jones wished violence on the children of a colleague and joked about shooting Todd Gilbert. It’s disgusting and unbecoming of any public official,” Coyner’s spokesperson said. (RELATED: Republican Attorney General Helped Shut Down Brothel That Democratic Prosecutor Tolerated)

We are appalled by these vile and hateful text messages. Jay Jones must drop out of the AG race immediately.

The left has gotten too comfortable calling for violence against conservatives. Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/j3wd9DdAoY
— Young Republicans of Texas (@YRsOfTexas) October 15, 2025

In a report from the Daily Caller, over 350,000 Virginians have casted their vote prior to the news of Jay Jones being reported. According to the Virginia Public Access Program, on October 3rd, 359,379 people had already submitted their ballot for the November election. Just days before that, it had been released that Jones was caught speeding at 116 MPH on the highway.

The Caller also mentioned that Coyner pointed to another violent conversation that she had with Jones in a press conference. According to Coyner, during a heated debate over ending qualified immunity for police officers, Jones remarked that the loss of a few officers could deter them from taking civilian lives. (RELATED: Delegate Wyatt Eyes Another Term, Promises Lower Taxes and Job Growth)

Since the incident, Jones has reportedly dropped more than 5% in the polls. The loss comes with some of the support going to Republican incumbent Jason Miyares. Miyares received almost a 4% jump in the polls.

Dr. David Richards, of the Trafalgar Group who ran the poll, said it would be “foolish” to not see a dip in the poles. However he said the big question is how long is this dip going to last or is it permanent.