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Former Virginia state Del. Jay Jones secured the Democratic nomination for Virginia attorney general.
The Associated Press projects that Jones has won the Democratic primary and will challenge incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares this November.
Miyares was elected attorney general in 2021 alongside Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is term-limited this year, and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican gubernatorial nominee. All three Republicans flipped Democratic seats during the statewide elections in 2021, and Democrats are seeking to regain control of Virginia later this year.
President Donald Trump’s name did not appear at the top of the ticket during Virginia’s primary on Tuesday, but his sweeping second-term agenda took center stage up and down the ballot.
TRUMP FACTOR: ELECTIONS IN THIS KEY STATE ARE SEEN AS A PARTIAL REFERENDUM ON THE PRESIDENT
Miyares, the first Hispanic American to be elected to a statewide office in Virginia and the first child of an immigrant to be attorney general, has been supportive of Trump’s agenda in Virginia – whereas Democratic attorneys general across the United States have led the judicial challenge to Trump’s executive authority.
TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT BUT PRESIDENT INFLUENCES TUESDAY’S HIGH-STAKES PRIMARY
Jones and his competitor, Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, both tried to capitalize on primary voters’ anger over the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal government, including massive layoffs through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Jones, a former assistant attorney general, identified his top campaign issue as protecting Virginia from the Trump administration.
“Donald Trump is waging an unprecedented assault on Virginia communities, jobs, and even civil rights,” Jones included in a statement on his campaign website.
Jones applauded how attorneys general have stepped up to defend Americans by suing the Trump administration to unlock federal funding and reject executive overreach, “but here in Virginia, MAGA extremist Attorney General Jason Miyares has put politics first and refused to join in the effort to defend against unconstitutional and un-American Trump policies.”
Public safety, lowering costs through corporate accountability, protecting civil and constitutional rights and preserving the right to abortion were among Jones’ additional campaign promises.
Taylor’s campaign focused on public safety, protecting abortion rights, lowering costs, preventing gun violence and building Virginia’s economy to support the middle class.
Taylor’s first campaign ad featured images of Trump buying a Tesla at the White House and Elon Musk holding up a chainsaw at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
“I’m running for Attorney General to beat back Trump and Musk,” Taylor said.
Virginia’s elections will be used by political pundits and politicians as a bellwether for competitive midterm elections expected in 2026. They are an early opportunity to gauge how Americans are responding to Trump’s second term, and see how they might vote next year when a congressional majority is on the line.
Virginia is one of two gubernatorial elections in the United States this year, along with New Jersey, which held their primary election last week.
Commonwealth Republicans broke a 12-year losing streak to the Democrats when they swept the elections for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in Virginia four years ago.
But Republicans haven’t won the commonwealth in a White House contest since 2004.
Trump lost the state by six points in last November’s presidential election, which was a four-point improvement from his 2020 defeat.
Still, Republicans are expected to face an upward battle in November. With only one exception since 1977, the party that holds the White House has lost Virginia’s gubernatorial election.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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