Spanberger Faces Pressure on Support for Jones in Virginia Debate

During Virginia’s sole gubernatorial debate, Democrat Abigail Spanberger was challenged multiple times to renounce her backing of attorney general candidate Jay Jones, but she consistently avoided doing so.

The issue arose early on when Lt. Gov. Winsome Earl Sears referenced Jones’s controversial text messages, in which he suggested the former Republican House speaker deserved “two bullets” to the head. Sears raised this scandal while responding to the moderator’s first question, which didn’t concern Jones.

“Abigail, when will you take a stand and say, ‘I have to drop out of the race?’” Earl Sears asked.

She then stated, “He has expressed a desire to kill his political opponents and their children.”

Spanberger, however, chose not to respond.

“They need to answer for Jay Jones,” Sears insisted.

A host, Deanna Allbrittin, pressed Spanberger on when she became aware of Jones’s alarming text messages from August 2022 and whether she would still endorse him for Virginia’s top prosecutor.

Spanberger stated, “Jay Jones’s comments are absolutely abhorrent. I learned of them and condemned them,” adding that it’s crucial for candidates from both sides to denounce violent rhetoric.

The moderator pointed out that Spanberger did not actually answer the key part of the question.

“I didn’t hear a clear answer regarding your support. Do you still plan to back Jay Jones as attorney general? Were you aware of these text messages before they became public?” Albrittin asked again.

In her response, Spanberger suggested that Republicans had prior knowledge of Jones’s texts but hadn’t revealed them publicly. Sears interjected, “When did you know and what did you do about it?”

“I found out about these messages on the day they became public and condemned them immediately,” Spanberger replied.

She added, “What’s important is that voters now know this information—information that has likely been kept for political gain. It’s up to them to make informed choices.”

Pressed once more about her support for Jones, Spanberger would not commit.

“That’s for each individual to decide for themselves,” she said, trying to sidestep the question.

“So are you indicating that you still support Jay Jones as attorney general?” Albrittin pressed again.

“What I’m saying is, at this point, it’s up to each voter to make their own decision,” Spanberger restated.

Lt. Gov. Sears later addressed a statement made by President Trump at a conservative event, admitting she wouldn’t have made such comments.

Sears then turned to Spanberger, making an emotional appeal for her to encourage Jones to withdraw from the race.

“Jay Jones defended the murder of Abigail, the former Speaker, and the lives of their young children,” she said while directly addressing her opponents.

“You have a little girl. What would it take? Would he really pull the trigger? When will you say he needs to withdraw?” she continued.

Spanberger appeared unfazed and wouldn’t make eye contact during Sears’s questioning.

“Abigail? Do you have nothing to say? What if he targets three kids next? Will that prompt you to say he should step down?” Sears continued, but Spanberger remained silent.

“Please have some political courage,” she urged Spanberger. “What you’ve done seems like a political calculation about your future as governor.”

“As governor, I’ll have to make tough choices, and that includes telling Jay Jones to drop out of the race,” Sears concluded.