(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump wasn’t on the debate stage Tuesday night, but his name was rarely absent as Democratic nominee Jay Jones and Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares faced off at the University of Richmond.
Hosted by the Virginia State Bar and the Young Lawyers Section, the debate quickly turned personal.
Jones invoked Trump repeatedly while Miyares focused on his record as “the people’s protector,” attacking Jones’s credibility and fitness for office.
“You support laws or are against laws requiring localities to actually work and cooperate with federal authorities, and it puts innocent Virginians at risk,” Miyares said during an exchange on immigration. “You’re a politician who wants to pick fights in Washington. You’re not a prosecutor. This is not a political office. This is a crime-fighting office.”
Jones, who has tied his campaign to opposing Trump, accused Miyares of being too afraid to stand up to the president.
“Virginians are just waiting for you to prosecute a case against Donald Trump,” Jones said. “People are hurting right now. What do you say to those federal workers who are at home who got fired illegally earlier this year? If you’re going to prosecute a case, you should prosecute the president.”
That theme continued across the night, with Trump’s name surfacing throughout questions on crime, energy and civil rights.
By the end, the president had been mentioned more than 40 times, including six times in Jones’s closing statement.
The debate also revisited Jones’s 2022 text messages, where he made comments about a Republican colleague’s family, as previously reported by The Center Square. The controversy became a flashpoint across Virginia politics and returned center stage Thursday night as Miyares questioned Jones’s judgment and accountability.
“Jay, if you were to apply to be a line prosecutor, and not just in my office, in any attorney general’s office in the country, you would not pass a background check,” Miyares said. “You may say you are sorry, but you had three years to apologize and didn’t.”
Jones replied that he had already been held accountable.
“I was held accountable by my party, and I deeply, deeply respect that,” he said. “But what about when Donald Trump used incendiary language to incite a riot? What about when Winsome Sears used violent language? What about when John Reid shared Nazi porn? You haven’t said a word.”
Miyares countered that his focus was on protecting Virginians, not politics.
“I’ve sued both administrations, the Trump administration and the Biden administration, to protect our veterans and their GI benefits,” Miyares said. “Jay Jones is not a prosecutor, he’s a politician. He wants to fight the fights in Washington. My job is to keep Virginians safe.”
He added that Jones’s past comments made him unfit to serve.
“If you were really sorry, you wouldn’t be running,” Miyares said. “You knew Todd Gilbert. You knew his wife, Jennifer. These are real people, real children. A prosecutor knows the cry of a mother who’s lost a child. Jay Jones doesn’t, because he’s a politician trying to save his career.”
The two also clashed on energy policy and corporate accountability.
“I think working-class Virginians can’t afford a carbon tax on their energy bills,” Miyares said. “That is a huge difference between the two of us.”
Jones accused Miyares of siding with Dominion Energy.
“He can’t stand up to them because he is bought and paid for by Dominion Energy,” Jones said. “I can’t wait to unleash our Consumer Protection Unit to fight for the people of Virginia.”
In his closing, Miyares leaned on his personal story and record in office, calling on voters to uphold what he described as “the Virginia Way.”
“We all look at Washington, D.C., and we shake our heads,” he said. “Both parties have said things about each other that are simply deplorable. But in Virginia, we can elevate decorum and decency. The eyes of the world are on us. Are we going to pass the test of decency?”
Miyares said the race comes down to character and accountability.
“Someone who wants to be the top prosecutor in this state has advocated for violence,” he said. “He may seek forgiveness now, but the reality is he’s seeking a promotion. This is our moment, Virginia.”
Jones closed by contrasting his vision for the office with Miyares’ record, saying Virginians face a choice between “the same old politics” and a new approach focused on accountability and cost of living.
He accused Miyares of being “a cheerleader for the president.”
“I will see Donald Trump in court to hold him accountable for Virginia,” Jones said, adding that his campaign centers on lowering costs, public safety, and consumer protection. He said his priorities include cracking down on violent crime, supporting victims, creating a child safety unit, and taking on corporate fraud and high utility rates.
“We deserve honest and fair bills, safe neighborhoods, and leaders who put Virginia first,” Jones said. “Donald Trump doesn’t run this commonwealth.”
