Legacy media outlets have largely glossed over the significant scandals surrounding Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate for Attorney General in Virginia. Recently, a text message from Jones to colleagues surfaced, where he made a bizarre comment about then-Representative House Speaker Todd Gilbert “putting two bullets in his head.” In light of this, Jones has issued an apology.
Other issues have emerged, too. Allegations state that Jones suggested if he were killed, it might help reduce civilian shootings, which he later denied, of course. Moreover, following a reckless driving conviction in 2022, Jones contributed 500 hours towards community service through his own political action committee, which is somewhat unusual, I think.
It’s still uncertain how this will impact the Virginia governor’s race. Jones is still in the AG contest, while his fellow Democrat Abigail Spanberger currently leads in the polls against the Republican incumbent Governor Winsome Sears. Yet, media coverage of Democratic candidates seems fairly scarce.
A Democratic hopeful’s troubling thoughts about harming GOP lawmakers have caught attention. It’s curious, really, how the New York Times has ignored this growing scandal. Despite its reputation, it hasn’t reported on Jones, while it previously covered a Republican aide resigning over inappropriate comments about the Obama daughters.
In terms of broadcast networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS haven’t focused on this ongoing controversy either. A Republican panelist even noted that prominent stories are being overlooked. The morning and evening news segments seem preoccupied, only acknowledging the controversy on their websites.
Meanwhile, other media like The Atlantic, NPR, and PBS also haven’t reported on Jones yet, as per recent searches. The Associated Press has mentioned the situation a couple of times; one headline pointedly calls out the rising rhetoric as the election nears.
CNN and MSNBC have offered little coverage, mainly during non-primetime slots. MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” featured a dialogue about Jones being urged to drop out of the AG race, but since then, it seems both networks have steered away from the story.
Virginia lawmakers assert that Jones claimed more police deaths could lead to fewer civilian shootings, igniting further backlash. In contrast, the Washington Post editorial board has hardly made a dent in its criticism of Jones’ text messages.
They argued that Virginia should uplift dignified politicians from both sides and labeled Jones’ comments as contrary to that tradition. He now has a month to persuade voters that his rhetoric doesn’t reflect his potential actions as Attorney General. Some Democrats, like Spanberger, have opposed his remarks, but none have called for him to step down, possibly banking on maneuvering through the scandal. As early voting in Virginia gets underway, the deadline to remove names from ballots has already passed.
