Support for embattled Virginia AG candidate Jay Jones plummets in internal poll after text scandal

Virginia Democratic Attorney General candidate Jay Jones has taken a hit in the polls following the release of text messages he sent fantasizing about the Republican former state House speaker being shot in the head.The candidate’s unhinged text messages were published in the National Review on Oct.3 – and internal polling conducted for the Jones campaign between Oct.

4 and Oct.6 shows the Democrat holding only a slight 1 percentage point lead (46% to 45%) over Republican incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares. In two polls conducted before Jones’ deranged text messages were brought to light – a Washington Post-Schar School poll and a Christopher Newport University survey –  both showed the Democrat up on Miyares by six percentage points. The new statewide survey, conducted by Hart Research, notes “weekend coverage of Jay Jones’ text messages had an impact on the candidate’s image and to some extent on the attorney general election.”“Jay’s image has suffered some erosion during the events of the last few days; when asked their impressions of Jay based on what they had read, seen, or heard recently, fully 44% of voters say they feel LESS favorable toward him, compared to 12% more favorable,” the pollster found. Among Democrats, Jones continued to maintain “solid support,” but Miyares topped the wannabe AG by 1 percentage point in terms of independent voters (42% to 41%). The pollster noted that Jones’ texting scandal “has had the most impact” on independents, but concluded that the “overall dynamics” in the race “remain unchanged and favorable to Democrats.” “[W]hile Jay’s solid lead in the past few weeks has been narrowed, there is still a strong path to victory in November,” the Hart Research memo read.Meanwhile, a survey commissioned by the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) showed Miyares leading Jones by about 2 percentage points (45.8% to 43.7%). The same pollster found Jones up on Miyares,...