Press Release:
Blacksburg, VA, October 3, 2025:
Obenshain Stated: As a prosecutor, I have successfully brought criminals to justice and ensured that they face the consequences of their actions. I have seen firsthand how threats of violence can escalate and put the lives of innocent victims in danger. As a candidate for Attorney General and a father himself, Jay Jones should also understand this and therefore his reckless comments must disqualify him from holding that office.
We have recently witnessed a blatant disregard for the seriousness of political violence, and a shocking display of political privilege. Former Delegate Jay Jones fantasized about killing a Republican colleague and even wished harm to his family in a graphic and disturbing fashion. This rhetoric is disgusting and dangerous. It is also disqualifying for someone who seeks to hold one of the highest offices of trust in our Commonwealth.
These incidents highlight a deeply concerning trend: the Democrats’ leveraging of violent rhetoric for political gain. Our political and policy differences are fair game in any campaign. But Jay Jones’ disgusting comments are wholly unfit for civil discourse, especially in light of recent events.
Obenshain Concluded: I call on my opponent, Lily Franklin, to join me in standing up against these toxic comments by condemning Jay Jones and asking for an immediate and unconditional apology to former Speaker Todd Gilbert and his family. We need leaders who are willing to speak plainly and clearly about dehumanizing comments such as these that only serve to incite further violence.
I hope that this moment will allow commonsense Virginians of all political stripes to stand together in sending a clear message that political violence has no place in our Commonwealth.
(Chris Obenshain is a Republican Delegate running for re-election in the 41st district.)
4 comments
Just a few of the contributors to Jay Jones
$2,100,000 Democratic Attorney Generals Assn
$750,000 Simons, Elizabeth
$325,000 Clean Virginia Fund
$200,000 Everytown for Gun Safety
$200,000 Government That Works PAC
$150,000 Green Advocacy Project
$107,500 Freedom Virginia
$100,000 Service Employees International Union
$100,000 United Food & Commercial Workers – Local 400
$90,000 Va League of Conservation Voters
$70,000 Casagrande, Adam
$70,000 United Brotherhood of Carpenters
$68,750 Next 50 Action
$60,000 Waldron, Karen Holly
$57,500 Hardie, Robert D
$52,500 Cerf, Vinton G
$50,000 American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
$50,000 Smith, S Sonjia
$50,000 Swedish Match
$40,000 Fried, Barbara J
$40,000 Sarofim, Susan
$35,000 Bluegrass PAC
$35,000 Clean and Prosperous America
$35,000 Miller, Nancy
$34,000 Womer, Rodney
$30,000 Helmer for Delegate – Daniel
$30,000 McInerney, Thomas J
$27,500 Abramson, Ronald D
$25,000 Baltimore Washington Construction & Public Employees Laborers PAC
$25,000 Breit, Jeffrey Arnold
$25,000 Frederick, David C
$25,000 International Assn of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers PAC
$25,000 Jane Fonda Climate PAC
$25,000 Mid-Atlantic Laborers’ Political Education Fund
$25,000 National Education Assn
$25,000 Philip Morris International
$25,000 Warner for US Senate – Mark
$20,000 Firefighters – Prince William
$20,000 Goldman-Fowler, Amy
$20,000 Hunt-Scott, Shannon
$20,000 Zalkind, Julie
$17,500 Bagby for Senate – Lamont
$17,500 Rodriguez, Felipe M
$15,250 Ding, Renee Z
$15,000 Conner, Frank M III
$15,000 In this Together PAC
$15,000 Sideprize LLC DBA PrizePicks
$15,000 Smith, Diane Marburger
$13,500 Ahmed, Mahfouz
$12,500 Bennett, Leonard A
$11,500 Hixon, James Andrew
$11,000 Preiss, Jeremy O
$10,250 Ding, Henry
$10,000 Altria
$10,000 Baldacci, Michelle A
$10,000 Batten, Jane Parke
$10,000 Boyd-Pamunkey Casino
$10,000 Boysko, Jennifer
$10,000 Ferguson, Kay Leigh
$10,000 Grisham, Renee
$10,000 Hardie, Molly G
$10,000 Kaempfer, Joseph W Jr
$10,000 Levitt, Adam
$10,000 McLean, Grey
$10,000 Operative Plasterers & Cement Masons PAC
$10,000 Pace-O-Matic
$10,000 Secure Progress
$10,000 Shrivastava, Sumeet
$10,000 Win Virginia
$8,000 VanValkenburg for Senate – Schuyler
$7,500 Goode, David R
$7,500 Lester, Harry T
$7,500 Payne, L.F.
$7,000 Goodale, Thomas
$7,000 Light, Angelica D
There is so much more and all data is publicly accessible at vpap.org
I understand folks desire calling for him to step down but I don’t feel that this behavior will stop with him stepping down. Are other Democrats within the Democrat Party fueled with this amount of rage?
By staying in the race this could be a dog whistle to violence against opponents or citizens.
This form of top down Democrat Leadership must stop.
Thank you for your very informative post.
I personally struggled with posting this but here we are. I am trying to decide did these contributors offer up funding to advance his character or is he representative of their character. It is not disturbing that he willfully made these text, it is demented. It is disturbing that he had no immediate remorse for his premeditated remarks and waited 3 years after to offer up an insincere apology only after the farce of his character was exposed and threatened his financial and powerful position of defending the law and all Citizens of Virginia, especially children. To attack the innocence of children and threaten them because of their parents is demonic, we don’t attack his children because of him, we feel for them because of the father they didn’t ask for.
These contributors to allow this campaign to move forward will become nothing more than consumers of his character. Jones says if elected he will work to fight the Trump Administration. He needs to put that on hold, go to Confession and start fighting the Devil in his heart and mind.
Just a working man’s perspective and I expect work is another thing Jones knows nothing about.
If you decide to delete my comments I understand.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
May God Bless America and hopefully a little extra for Virginia at this time.
Well said Delegate Obenshain