One of the biggest questions after the Jay Jones texting scandal was how it would impact Virginia races.

Would it hurt just the race for attorney general? Or would it damage the gubernatorial and lieutenant governor races too?

Fresh polling released Saturday indicates that it has hurt all three races. Before getting to that, let’s quickly recap another poll. It was a strong indicator that the scandal had damaged Jones.

RedState previously reported there were signs early on. The scandal hurt Jones and helped GOP Attorney General Jason Miyares. The Jones campaign released internal polling on October 8th.

This was five days after the texts were published. The poll showed him up by only one point. This is a statistical tie.

Internal polls are notorious for showing their candidate in a stronger position than reality. This meant Jones was probably actually behind by that point in the race. The situation was similar to the McAuliffe 2021 implosion.

Trafalgar released new numbers on Saturday. They confirmed Miyares had surged and was indeed now ahead of Jones. The poll was taken from the 8th through the 10th.

Miyares now leads Jones in the attorney general race.

In another positive development, there was notable movement in the gubernatorial race. The lieutenant governor race also tightened. Both races are now much closer in comparison to Trafalgar’s previous poll.

That previous poll was taken before the texting scandal broke. It was also before the debate between Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Abigail Spanberger. The former Congresswoman did not have a good night at all during that debate.

Earle-Sears and Miyares have both noted something important. These races have gone from being about the issues to also being about character. The question is who is best suited from a moral standpoint to hold these positions.

Who should represent the people of the commonwealth?

Strong arguments could be made before the news of the Jones texts broke. Those arguments showed how Virginia Democrats were unfit for statewide office. How they’ve responded in the aftermath has just put a finer point on it.

Jay Jones not only thinks he’s above the law. He also thinks it’s okay to fantasize about killing your political opponents and their children. He allegedly fantasized about cops dying too.

Abigail Spanberger refuses to distance herself from Jones. She can’t even be bothered to show any emotion. She won’t respond to questions about how she would feel if her own children became victims.

This could result from the harmful policies she supports. Like boys in girls’ locker rooms.

The statewide Democrat nominees in Virginia are counting on Democrat privilege. They expect it to carry them through the turbulence of this race. They think it will lead them to victory.

But the state is only about halfway through its early voting period. There is plenty of time between now and Election Day. Virginia voters can make their voices heard.

They can do what they did in 2021. Send Democrats packing.

The Jay Jones scandal revealed his true character. He sent text messages fantasizing about shooting a Republican lawmaker in the head. He talked about the man’s wife watching their children die. He called the children little fascists.

These are not the words of someone fit to be attorney general. The chief law enforcement officer of Virginia should respect human life. They should believe in justice and due process.

Jones believes in political violence against his opponents. He thinks it’s funny to joke about murdering people. He has shown no genuine remorse for his actions.

Abigail Spanberger’s refusal to condemn Jones is equally damning. She could have easily distanced herself from him. She could have called for him to drop out of the race.

Instead, she stands by him. She makes excuses for his behavior. She won’t even acknowledge how disturbing his texts were.

During the debate, Earle-Sears pressed Spanberger on policy issues. Spanberger struggled to defend her positions. She appeared unprepared and uncomfortable.

The debate performance hurt Spanberger’s standing with voters. Combined with her defense of Jay Jones, it has damaged her campaign significantly.

Miyares has run a strong campaign focused on law and order. He has prosecuted criminals and defended Virginia families. He represents everything Jones is not.

Earle-Sears has been a powerful voice for conservative values. She challenges Spanberger on every issue. She points out the hypocrisy in Democrat positions.

The new polling shows Virginia voters are responding to these messages. Republicans are surging in all three statewide races. Democrats are panicking.

Jones started with a comfortable lead in the attorney general race. Now he trails Miyares. The scandal completely reversed his position.

Spanberger led Earle-Sears by a significant margin. Now the race has tightened considerably. Earle-Sears has real momentum.

Even the lieutenant governor race has become competitive. Democrats expected easy victories in all three races. Now they face potential defeats across the board.

Virginia proved in 2021 that it can reject Democrats when they go too far. Glenn Youngkin won the governorship. Republicans swept the statewide races.

The same thing could happen in 2025. The Jay Jones scandal has energized Republican voters. It has reminded Virginians why they rejected Democrats before.

Early voting is underway but not complete. Republicans have time to build on their momentum. They can reach persuadable voters with their message.

The message is simple. Democrats are unfit to lead Virginia. Jay Jones fantasizes about killing Republicans. Abigail Spanberger defends him.

Virginia deserves better leaders. Miyares and Earle-Sears represent Virginia values. They will fight for families and uphold the law.