As national discussion surrounding political violence has intensified, Democrats are continuing to endorse a candidate who admitted to sending text messages calling for the death of a Republican opponent and his family. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is the latest Democrat official to double down on supporting Democrat nominee for Attorney General of Virginia Jay Jones, despite the candidate’s violent rhetoric.

Kaine has repeatedly refused to withdraw his endorsement for Jones’s campaign, insisting, “I’m still supporting Jay Jones.” In an interview Sunday, the senator was asked if his position was hypocritical and whether or not he would insist that a hypothetical Republican who made similar violent comments should retire his campaign.

“Absolutely not,” Kaine replied. “It’s directly equivalent to things that the Republican gubernatorial candidate has publicly said, not in private texts,” the senator claimed, referring to GOP nominee for Governor of Virginia Winsome Earle-Sears and her pro-life positions. “‘Murder is murder, and your time will come’—she said that in a public meeting speaking about pro-choice activists. I’ve not called for her to drop out of the race.”

“These are fair items for voters to consider as they cast their vote, but no, we’re not calling for Republicans to drop out of races,” Kaine continued. “We say, ‘Apologize.’ You have to take account for your actions, and voters can look at the actions and look at your sincerity if you apologize. Apologies are in short supply in politics these days.”

Kaine made similar comments in an interview on Thursday. “Look, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Virginia has said some vile things and we haven’t called on her to drop out of the race,” he said. “The voters are gonna make this decision. The Jay Jones texts were abhorrent and they are indefensible, but I also have known Jay Jones for 25 years and I put that knowledge on a scale and it weighs more than one really indefensible set of texts.”

When Jones’s text messages were first published, Kaine told reporters that he would still endorse Jones for attorney general, repeating the claim that he has known Jones for 25 years. However, Jones is only 36 years old, meaning that Kaine would have known the now-candidate since he was 11 years old.

Jones came under fire last month when text messages he sent to a Republican colleague while serving in Virginia’s House of Delegates were published. In those texts, the Democrat suggested that he would shoot then-Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert (R), who deserved “two bullets to the head,” and attend slain Republicans’ funerals to “piss on their graves.” When Republican delegate Carrie Coyner questioned Jones on his comments, he said that political violence is an effective tool and suggested that Gilbert’s children should be shot and killed so that the Republican might reconsider his position on the Second Amendment. He also told Republicans during the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020 that police officers may need to be killed in order to prevent racism.

Since then, Democrats at the federal, state, and local level have continued to support Jones and his campaign. Democrat gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger refused to call on Jones to stop campaigning, even when asked about the issue point-blank during a debate against Earle-Sears, and big-name Democrats like former President Bill Clinton and his wife, failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, have supported Virginia Democrats.

However, the scandal has resulted in a boost for Republicans, according to polling data, with Republicans and Democrats statistically tied in the race for both the governorship and lieutenant governorship and incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares leading Jones by a wider margin in the race for top prosecutor.

Late Sunday, aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump also encouraged Virginians to vote for Earle-Sears. “The Republican candidate is very good and she should win, because the Democrat candidate’s a disaster,” the president said.

Originally published by The Washington Stand

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