Virginia Democrat attorney general candidate Jay Jones continues to hold nearly 200 endorsements from organizations, elected officials, and prominent Democrats, several days after text messages resurfaced from 2022 in which he discussed shooting former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert and referenced his children dying. As of Monday, October 6, none of his endorsers have withdrawn their alignment or publicly called for him to drop out of the race.

The fallout erupted late last week after National Review published messages between Jones and Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner. In the texts, Jones wrote that if faced with a choice between shooting two dictators or Gilbert, he would “pick Gilbert every time.” Coyner confirmed that Jones also referenced Gilbert’s children dying “in the arms of their mother.” Jones later apologized, saying he was “deeply sorry” and took “full responsibility” for his comments.

Since the report, calls for Jones to withdraw have come from President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is running for governor. Earle-Sears released an ad Sunday featuring Democratic support of Jones and urging voters to “reject the insanity.” Trump endorsed incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares, describing Jones’s statements as “sick and demented,” while Miyares called them “disqualifying.”

His campaign website continues to feature backing from national figures, including Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), former Virginia Gov.