During a debate in Virginia tonight, Democrat Abigail Spanberger refused to withdraw her endorsement of Jay Jones, the Democrat running for attorney general, despite the scandal engulfing him over violent text messages he wrote about a Republican colleague and his children.
The debate moderator, to her credit, pressed Spanberger on the issue repeatedly and tried to get her to give a definitive answer, but Spanberger deflected, saying that it’s now just up to the voters.
Her responses were entirely unacceptable.
Politico reports:
Spanberger and Earle-Sears tussle over violent political rhetoric in only debate
Democrat Abigail Spanberger passed on a chance to use one of the most high-profile moments of her run for Virginia governor to withdraw her endorsement for her party’s attorney general nominee for his use of violent rhetoric in a text message.
The subject of Jay Jones’ violent message from three years ago emerged immediately as the Democrat faced Republican Winsome Earle-Sears on Thursday in the only planned debate of the closely watched race.
Spanberger condemned the text as “abhorrent” but repeatedly declined to say whether she would withdraw her support for Jones, saying it should be left to the voters in the Nov. 4 election.
“The voters now have the information, and it is up to voters to make an individual choice based on this information,” she said.
Jones suggested the former Republican House speaker should get “two bullets to the head.” He has apologized for the text, which became public last week amid rising fears of political violence following a string of incidents, including the killing of Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 and the attack on Minnesota lawmakers in June.
Watch the video:
Astonishing debate moment as Abigail Spanberger gets confronted about whether or not she continues to endorse Jay Jones. Her answer’s so bad even the moderator can’t tell her response.
pic.twitter.com/aPPvJkbVlh— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) October 9, 2025
In another moment in the debate, Spanberger refused to give a clear answer about men and boys in girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms, an issue that she has dodged repeatedly for months. Watch:
Here’s the exchange where Abigail Spanberger is unable to simply say that men should not be allowed to change in the same locker rooms as girls.
DISQUALIFYING.pic.twitter.com/nWXpTZ5yld
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 10, 2025
Spanberger’s responses were so awful that this debate could actually change the dynamic of this race. The polls have been tightening and Spanberger has managed to maintain a small lead. That might actually change now. Spanberger looked like a weak candidate and Sears appeared solid.