Since late Friday, there has been considerable, and very heated, discussion of a text by Jay Jones, Democrat nominee for attorney general of Virginia, saying if he had two bullets and the opportunity to shoot Hitler, Cambodia's murderous strongman Pol Pot, or former State House Speaker Todd Gilbert, "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."
Bang! One could almost hear the collective outrage throughout the Old Dominion state, where Jones is vying for one of three statewide offices on the ballot in November.
Democrat gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger told reporters she spoke to Jones, called his remarks "disgusting," and vowed to always "condemn threatening language in our politics." Other Democrats, including Sen. Mark Warner, also weighed in against Jones' texts, although none have called for him to abandon the race.
Jones issued a public apology late on Friday but showed no signs of withdrawing a month before the balloting, as an estimated 280,000 Virginians were casting early ballots.
In contrast, Republicans from President Donald Trump on down have called on Jones to withdraw from the race, with the president using Truth Social to denounce "Radical Left Lunatic Jay Jones" for his "SICK and DEMENTED jokes" and issuing a strong endorsement of GOP Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears has already released a TV ad linking opponent Spanberger to Jones and his "Hitler" text.
Most surveys show Democrats leading by single digits in the races for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. The question now is whether the "Hitler" text and renewed Republican vigor can put Miyares over the top — and possibly help his ticketmates.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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