Violent messages and subsequent fallout
In October 2025, Jones came under fire for an August 2022 text message conversation with his former Republican delegate colleague Carrie Coyner, in which Jones made "threatening messages" and used "graphic and violent language" against the then–state house speaker Todd Gilbert and his family. Jones, who was not in the legislature at the time, stated that if he had two bullets and could shoot Gilbert, Adolf Hitler, or Pol Pot, Gilbert "gets two bullets to the head". Jones acknowledged that he had talked about hoping Gilbert's children would die because "Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy", before describing Gilbert and his wife as "evil" and "breeding little fascists".
The impetus for Jones's texts to Coyner was his anger at the eulogies Republican legislators had for former delegate Joseph P. Johnson, a moderate Democrat, who had recently died, with Jones disparaging "Johnson's political centrism". Jones said of Republican legislators who gave tributes about Johnson that "If those guys die before me I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves" and said that it will "Send them out awash in something".
The comments were made public by National Review in October 2025 during Jones's campaign for attorney general, and received bipartisan condemnation, including by fellow Democratic nominees former representative Abigail Spanberger and state senator Ghazala Hashmi, though they did not call on him to drop out of the race. Numerous prominent Republicans, including president Donald Trump, vice president JD Vance, governor Glenn Youngkin, and Republican gubernatorial nominee lieutenant governor Winsome Earle-Sears all requested for Jones to drop out of the election due to these messages. Jones acknowledged that he sent the texts and apologized to Gilbert and his family. Jason Miyares publicly stated that he "does not accept his apology", stating that Jones "had a chance then to apologize", and that he "is sorry only after it made the news".
After the story broke, Coyner said in an interview that Jones made charged comments during a phone conversation on qualified immunity in 2020. Jones allegedly said "if a few police officers died, then maybe they would stop killing people". Jones denied making the comment.
After the comments were publicly disclosed, polling conducted showed that the race was narrowing, with results indicating a statistical tie or his opponent leading, marking a shift from his earlier lead that received notable coverage in reporting on the campaign. Most undecided voters, however, ended up supporting Jones, with most undecided voters leaning towards Jones as shown in the final polls. Jones's strong performance with undecided voters is likely an example of social-desirability bias, also known as shy voter syndrome, where people are hesitant to reveal their voting preferences for candidates involved in scandals.
