Here are several Virginia dems saying what Jones said was wrong.
Democratic leaders across Virginia responded with near-universal disgust — but stopped short of demanding Jones end his campaign.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., called the comments “appalling” and “inconsistent with the person I’ve known.”
Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, said she was “disgusted” by Jones’s remarks and had spoken directly with him Friday afternoon.
“I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words,” Spanberger said in a statement. “As a candidate — and as the next governor of our commonwealth — I will always condemn violent language in our politics.”
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, said Jones “must take accountability for the pain that his words have caused.”
Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, was among the most forceful in his response, calling the texts “a serious lapse in judgment that cannot be defended.”
“While we don’t share the same political views, I consider Todd Gilbert a friend and an honorable person,” Surovell said. “The comments directed at him and his family were completely out of bounds.”
Surovell added that the context of the exchange — apparently sparked by condolences after Johnson’s passing — made the remarks “even more inappropriate.”
What began as a quiet October Friday in Virginia politics erupted into a full-blown national scandal when screenshots of private, three-year old text messages showing Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones fantasizing about shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his children were...
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