Del. Geary Higgins (R-Loudoun) is calling on Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones to exit public life entirely after the release of private text messages in which Jones joked about executing former House Speaker Todd Gilbert.
“Jay Jones should not only drop out of the race, but he should also remove himself from politics and seek professional help,” Higgins told West Nova News. “Those texts were clearly from someone who is mentally unstable, and it’s clear Jones should be nowhere near any type of law enforcement or political power.”
The firestorm around Jones erupted after the National Review published the 2022 text messages Jones exchanged with Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner, in which he wrote, “Three people, two bullets Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head. Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”
Another read, “If those guys die before me I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves.”
Coyner, the recipient of the texts, pushed back, saying, “It really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them.”
Jones responded, “Lol / Ok, ok,” but later justified his rhetoric by saying, “l’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
He also said of Gilbert and his wife, “Do I think Todd and Jennifer are evil? And that they’re breeding little fascists? Yes.”
The scandal has intensified after additional remarks from Jones have come to light, including a comment made during a 2020 policy conversation in which he allegedly said police may reconsider their treatment of citizens should more of them be killed.
“Well, maybe if a few of them died, that they would move on, not shooting people, not killing people,” Jones allegedly said.
Jones has denied making those comments, according to the New York Post.
Higgins said the recently uncovered messages from Jones reveal a disturbing lack of judgment and character that goes far beyond partisan politics.
“We knew Jay Jones was unqualified professionally to be Attorney General, having never tried a case,” Higgins said. “But now, we have learned that Jones is completely unqualified personally as well, as he wishes to kill his political opponents and dreams of their children dying. Furthermore, his reckless endangerment of others by driving at 116 mph further demonstrates that he is unfit for public office, and his fraudulent community service reveals his dishonesty.”
The 2025 election cycle has been marred by escalating tensions, with both Higgins and Delegate Kim Taylor (R-Dinwiddie) targeted with death threats.
In Higgin’s case, the suspect, a Purcellville man, is facing felony charges after being accused of threatening to shoot Higgins at a public event. The suspect also referenced knowing the whereabouts of Higgins’ children.
Those threats came days after Higgins publicly condemned a racist sign targeting Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears at an Arlington County protest. The sign read: “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then Blacks can’t share my water fountain.”
“In this country, we argue our politics with words, not bullets,” Higgins said. “Most people agree that violence has no place in our political discourse, but unfortunately, a large and growing percentage of the left admittedly believes violence is acceptable towards those they disagree with. Political violence is not a both sides issue. There are, of course, true lunatics who cling to both sides, but only one side has made violence mainstream.”
Higgins said the incident underscored a broader pattern of escalating hostility fueled by inflammatory rhetoric from left-wing leaders.
“Only the left’s leaders are telling their supporters not to let Republicans have peace in public,” he said. “Only the left’s leaders are telling their supporters to ‘let your rage fuel you.’ Only the left’s leaders are wishing death on their opponents’ children. Only the left’s leaders want to globalize the intifada.”
The larger controversy comes amid a backdrop of growing political violence perpetrated by leftists. Higgins directly tied the rhetoric from Democrats to a growing trend of political violence.
“For years, the left has called us racists, nazis and fascists, and told their followers that we are an existential threat, so it should surprise no one that such rhetoric is now getting people killed,” Higgins said. “Rhetoric like this from those in office sends the wrong message that violence is acceptable.”
Republicans have pointed to a series of recent attacks as part of a concerning trend, including the September 10 assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump, an attack that left two Israeli embassy staffers dead and the point-blank murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Multiple United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities have also been attacked, with one incident resulting in two deaths and another in which an ICE agent was shot in the neck.
“Comments like these quite literally get people killed,” Higgins said. “On September 10th, Charlie Kirk was assassinated by an individual who was radicalized by left-wing fear-mongering and the constant demonization of Republicans. Delegate Kim Taylor and I both received threats on our lives from radical leftists ginned up by this same type of rhetoric. I am once again asking the left to stop inciting the unstable folks within their own party to commit acts of violence against Republicans.”
Jones has since apologized for the messages, calling them “a grave mistake” and saying he is “embarrassed, ashamed and sorry.” However, Republican leaders have dismissed Jones’ apology as insufficient.
“There is no ‘Gosh, I’m sorry’ here. Jones doesn’t have the morality or character to drop out of this race,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin wrote in a social media post.
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is running to replace Youngkin, said Jones is “consumed with hate,” accusing him of promoting a culture of “rage politics.”
Attorney General Jason Miyares, who Jones is challenging, addressed the issue in an open letter to Virginians.
“Jay Jones wished for the violent death of a political opponent and then fantasized about that opponent’s children dying in their mother’s arms,” Miyares said. “When confronted, he doubled down, saying that kind of grief and pain would be a good thing if it advanced his politics. And politics aside, one has to be coming from a dark place to advocate the murder of a colleague and their family. This conduct is disqualifying.”
Meanwhile, President Trump has blasted Earle-Sears’ opponent Virginia’s Democrat gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger for refusing to publicly disavow Jones after violent texts of his resurfaced.
“Radical Left Lunatic, Jay Jones, who is running against Jason Miyares, the GREAT Attorney General in Virginia, made sick and demented jokes, if they were jokes at all, which were not funny, and that he wrote down and sent around to people, concerning the murdering of a Republican Legislator, his wife, and their children,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Abigail Spanberger, who is running for Governor, is weak and ineffective, and refuses to acknowledge what this Lunatic has done.”
Higgins, the last remaining Republican delegate in deep-blue Loudoun County, is running for re-election in Virginia’s 30th District. He is campaigning on a platform of education reform, energy independence, historical preservation and public safety, while sharply opposing progressive social policies, particularly in schools.
He has frequently cited the “radical left” as a threat to Virginia’s values.
Higgins argues Democrats have failed to truly confront the rhetoric within its ranks.
“Every time these facts are brought up, leftists will pick random, one-off instances of supposed right-wing political violence to attempt to distract from their mainstream violence platform and ‘both-sides’ the issue,” Higgins said. “Unfortunately for those making that argument, even the cherry-picked instances they use are also committed by leftists. The Minnesota shooter who killed Melissa Hortman was a radicalized lunatic who thought he was doing Tim Walz a favor. The man who burned the Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home was a Marxist Hamas supporter. Time and time again, it is left-wing violence, even sometimes against Democrats who aren’t liberal enough for the mob.”
As the campaign enters its final stretch, Higgins says he is more determined than ever to reach voters directly through grassroots outreach and warn them of what he sees as a dangerous path forward should Democrats retain control in Richmond.
“We must soundly reject any politician who preaches violence or incites violence amongst their supporters, and anyone who refuses to stand up and speak out against those who do so,” Higgins said. “We must soundly reject Jay Jones and the entire Democrat ticket for their tacit endorsement of violence through their silence and continued support of Jones.”
