Virginia Democratic Attorney General candidate Jay Jones abruptly canceled a fundraising event Thursday night amid intense backlash from leaked text messages he sent calling for the Republican former state House speaker to be shot.
Jones was scheduled to host a fundraiser at the home of popular novelist David Baldacci, where Senator and former Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Kaine was also due to attend — but the scandal has forced the campaign to cancel, Axios reported.
Donors who reserved spots at the event were contacted by Jones’ campaign and told their donations would be refunded, sources told the outlet.
Most Virginia Democrats have condemned Jones’ comments — but many are still publicly backing him in the race against his opponent, incumbent Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Kaine told reporters on Tuesday that he is “still a supporter,” of Jones — but called Jones’ comments “indefensible,” according to Axios.
Jones has apologized for the 2022 text messages fantasizing about the death of Virginia’s then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, calling it a “grave mistake” and claiming he contacted Gilbert and his wife personally to say sorry.
“Three people, two bullets,” read the sick text from Jones, obtained by The Post from a source.
“Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot,” the former member of the Virginia House of Delegates continued. “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”
The texts, first-reported by National Review on Friday, were sent by Jones at around 8 a.m., on Aug. 8, 2022, to Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner.
“Jay,” Coyner wrote back, clearly uncomfortable with the rhetoric. “Please stop.”
Coyner has since come forward with new allegations against Jones, claiming that during a 2020 conversation about qualified immunity, he suggested that if more cops got killed after being stripped of legal protection, they would shoot fewer people.
Jones has not made a public appearance since Friday and his campaign appears to be in crisis mode, Axios reported.
His text messages calling for political violence surfaced at a sensitive time as conservatives continue to reel from the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Virginia Republicans and the state police union have been demanding that Jones drop out.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who endorsed Miyares last November, said that Jones’ messages were “beyond disqualifying” and slammed him for not having “the morality or character” to drop out on his own accord.
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