Overview
- At the University of Richmond forum, Jason Miyares repeatedly cited the leaked 2022 messages to question Jay Jones’s fitness for office and highlighted endorsements from major police groups that have urged Jones to step aside.
- Jones opened by apologizing to Todd Gilbert and Virginians, then pivoted to criticize Miyares over alignment with President Donald Trump and vowed to challenge the administration in court if elected.
- Decision Desk HQ’s updated polling average now shows Miyares and Jones tied at 46.4 percent following a wave of internal surveys after the texting scandal.
- Jones’s campaign said it raised about $500,000 in less than 24 hours after the debate, pointing to a swift post-debate fundraising surge.
- With early voting underway and ballots fixed, Virginia law leaves no practical route to replace Jones even as national Republicans, including Trump, call for him to leave the race.