Democratic Virginia attorney general nominee Jay Jones rolled out his first ad on Monday following the texting scandal that has roiled his campaign weeks before Election Day.
The ad, which was first seen by The Hill, is a part of a six-figure, statewide buy.
In the 30-second spot, Jones ties Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) to President Trump, calling the incumbent “Trump’s attorney.
The ad’s narrator notes that Miyares “is the only candidate that has Trump’s complete and total endorsement,” pointing to the president’s TruthSocial post in which he formally backed Miyares and called on Jones to drop out in the wake of the texting scandal.
“No one has done more for Trump in Virginia than Jason Miyates,” the ad’s narrator says over footage of Miyares and Trump together at a rally. “Workers fired, prices soaring, health care slashed. And Jason Miyares cheers them on, even pushing for a Virginia abortion ban.”
The ad comes as Jones has been under fire over recently surfaced texts that he sent in 2022 in which he joked about wanting to shoot former state House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R). The texts have roiled the state’s off-year elections, with Republicans insisting Democrats call on Jones to end his campaign.
Jones apologized for the texts after they were published earlier this month and did so again on stage at Thursday’s debate.
“Let me be very clear: I am ashamed, I am embarrassed, and I am sorry. I am sorry to Speaker Gilbert, I am sorry to his family, and I am sorry to every single Virginian,” Jones said.
He sought to tie Miyares to Trump during the same debate, calling him “a willing cheerleader” for the president.
The strategy is rooted in Trump’s deep unpopularity in the Old Dominion. Trump holds a 42 percent job approval and a 54 percent disapproval rating in the state, according to a poll released by Emerson College and The Hill earlier this month.
Jones’s campaign said it raised $500,000 in the 24 hours after the debate.
The latest polling average from The Hill’s partners at Decision Desk HQ show Jones and Miyares tied at 46.4 percent. In the fundraising race, Miyares has maintained a decent lead over Jones throughout the campaign.
