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A Democratic candidate, who is in hot water over texts revealing his desire to shoot a GOP lawmaker, previously received the endorsement and a hefty donation from one of the most prominent gun control groups in the country.
Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones, running alongside gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, received $200,000 from Everytown for Gun Safety in August, campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital show.
Jones has been facing calls to drop out of the race after a National Review report exposed text messages in 2022 where Jones compared one of his Republican colleagues, former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, to Hitler and Pol Pot and said that if he was given two bullets, he would use both against the GOP lawmaker.
Jones also made remarks suggesting his desire to see violence happen against Gilbert’s young children.
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Jay Jones, who is running to become Virginia’s attorney general in 2025, speaks to the audience during Abigail Spanberger’s bus tour stop in Fairfax, Virginia on June 26, 2025. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
Everytown for Gun Safety endorsed Jones in June.
“Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones are committed gun sense champions, and we’re proud to endorse them today,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a press release at the time.
“Preventing gun violence is a winning issue in Virginia, and Everytown will go all out to make sure voters know which candidates are making public safety a top priority.”
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Virginia attorney general candidate Jerrauld “Jay” Jones speaks at an event in Norfolk, Virginia. (Trevor Metcalfe/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Everytown for Gun Safety inquiring whether their endorsement still stands or if they plan to ask for their donation back but did not receive a response.
Republicans across the country, including President Donald Trump, have called on Jones to exit the race, but Virginia Democrats have so far remained united behind Jones.
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Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (C), marches in the 54th Annual Buena Vista Labor Day Festival parade with Democratic Nominee for Lieutenant Governor (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Jones has since apologized, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Jones campaign for comment.
Spanberger, running for governor in one of the most closely watched races in the country, condemned Jones’ messages but stopped short of calling on him to withdraw from the race.
