Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones admitted he was disappointed by a recent veto from Governor Abigail Spanberger — six months after she neglected to call on him to end his campaign over leaked texts that showed him cheering for the murder of his political opponents.
Spanberger, whose strong performance in the 2025 gubernatorial election helped drag Jones across the finish line, vetoed a bill Thursday that would allow more public sector employees to organize in a union.
Jones rebuked Spanberger following the veto.
“The Governor is charged with making hard decisions in an office that carries extraordinary responsibility, but I join union members, home care workers, public servants, and working families across the Commonwealth in their disappointment in today’s veto,” Jones said in a statement to local reporter Brandon Jarvis.
I asked Attorney General Jay Jones to respond to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s veto of collective bargaining for public sector employees. Here is his response: pic.twitter.com/ZzWQXmXDoH
— Brandon Jarvis (@Jaaavis) May 14, 2026
Spanberger declined to call for Jones to drop out of the attorney general race in October 2025 after leaked text messages from 2022 showed him advocating for the murder of a Republican lawmaker and his family.
“Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time,” Jones wrote about former Republican Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert. Jones also said he hoped Gilbert’s children would die.
Spanberger called the comments “abhorrent” during a gubernatorial debate with Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears, but would not answer when asked repeatedly if she would continue to endorse Jones’s candidacy. (RELATED: Moderator Presses Former Rep. Spanberger On Potentially Poisonous Endorsement. She Tries To Avoid It)
Spanberger later expressed frustration that she was still being asked about the texts on the campaign trail.
“The fact that I have to spend even a moment’s time talking about somebody else’s text message from years ago rather than what I want to do as governor, is something that I am deeply unhappy about,” the then gubernatorial candidate said during an interview with Katie Couric.
Spanberger’s campaign store also continued to sell merchandise featuring Jones’s name. (RELATED: Spanberger’s Campaign Store Makes Clear Exactly Where She Stands On Jay Jones Debacle)
Spanberger comfortably defeated Sears by more than 15 points, running ahead of Jones by nearly nine points. Jones won his race against incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares by six points.
Longtime political analyst Bob Holsworth, who is based in Richmond, suggested Jones could not have won without Spanberger’s strong performance at the top of the ticket.
“Jones’s fate is dependent on Spanberger winning by double digits or close to double digits for him to have a chance,” Holsworth told The Washingtonian the week before the election.
The Hill also reported at the time that Democrats were bracing for the possibility of a split ticket if Jones was unable to ride Spanberger’s coattails.