JUST IN: Scandal-Ridden Dem Cruises To Victory In Surprising Consequence
Jay Jones, the Democratic Party nominee for attorney general of Virginia, is projected to defeat Republican incumbent Jason Miyares. The result comes after weeks of positive polling for Miyares following the emergence of a violent text messaging scandal that impacted Jones’ campaign.
Decision Desk HQ called the race in favor of Jones called the race in favor of Jones at 8:26 p.m. At the time of the race call, the candidates were largely even, though much of the outstanding vote is set to come from Democrat-leaning areas.
Decision Desk HQ projects Jay Jones to win the Virginia Attorney General election.#DecisionMade: 8:26 pm ET
Follow live results on our website. pic.twitter.com/7FHdoAkgCY
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 5, 2025
The result comes as a massive shock, as the race was projected to be relatively close, if not a Miyares victory. The incumbent had taken the lead in polling averages last month following the emergence of the violent messages, while betting odds site Polymarket gave him an 85 percent chance of victory as of last week.
Jones, a former state lawmaker and current Democratic Party nominee for attorney general in Virginia, has generated national outrage following the emergence of violent text messages he sent to a colleague in 2022.
Jones expressed his desire to Jones stated that he wanted to put “two bullets” in the head of then-Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his wife, Jennifer.
He then directed his threats towards the couple’s children, stating that the Gilberts are “breeding little fascists.”
According to the Decision Desk HQ polling average, Miyares led with 47.8 percent of the vote to Jones’ 45.7 percent as of October 18. For comparison, Jones led by more than 10 percentage points in the polling average as of August 14.
With 70 percent of precincts reporting, Jones leads with 51 percent of the vote to Miyares’ 48.6 percent.
Jones largely attempted to sidestep the scandal by focusing on President Donald Trump. “And I will also say this. I was held accountable by my party, and I deeply, deeply respect that. But what about when Donald Trump used incendiary language to incite a riot to try to overturn an election here in this country? What about when Winsome Sears used violent language about people who disagree with you and her and your extreme position on abortion?” he said when asked about the messages during the lone debate between the two candidates.
An exit poll from Fox News found that less than half of Virginia voters viewed Jones’ messages as “disqualifying.”