Sanders does not say whether a candidate should be disqualified for violent messages

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and top Democrats declined to answer whether they think Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general, Jay Jones, should drop out because of violent text messages he sent fantasizing about killing a Republican opponent.

The race for Virginia attorney general, and the race for governor, have been rocked by recent revelations that Jones, a former Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates, made several violent remarks, including saying he wanted to shoot Todd Gilbert, then the speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.

Although some Democrats, including Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, condemned Jones’ messages, Sanders, perhaps America’s biggest progressive voice, ignored Fox News Digital’s question about the texts and simply walked away.

Another prominent progressive, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, Democrat of Maryland, also ignored Fox News Digital’s questions about Jones, turning her back on the reporter and entering an elevator.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., (left) declined to answer whether Virginia AG candidate Jay Jones (right) should drop out because of the violent messages he sent. (Joe Maher; Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., provided some answers, saying, “I’ll be honest with you, I don’t remember exactly what he said, but at least the thoughts I had, I thought it was horrible, I definitely remember.”

“I don’t know the dynamics of the race because I’m focused on the New Jersey gubernatorial race right now. So I can’t say I’ve done my due diligence to really understand it, but what I will say is what I saw was absolutely horrible,” Kim added.

Kim also said, “I hope that in a time when there are so many concerns about political violence. We can say that, yes, we need to make sure that we hold ourselves to high standards, especially for those in elected positions.”

Asked if he could comment on whether Jones should drop out of the race after the violent texts, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Democrat of Colorado, replied: “I can’t. I have to go.”

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Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones was convicted of reckless driving in 2022. (Craig Hudson for the Washington Post via Getty Images)

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., also had a similar response, saying, “No, I’m getting a briefing right now,” while a staffer said, “You’re more than welcome to contact her office.”

In text messages with another lawmaker, Jones wrote: “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets shot twice in the head.”

Jones wrote in a later text: “Spoiler: put Gilbert on the crew with the two worst people you know and he gets both bullets every time.”

In another text exchange with a co-worker, Jones said he hoped Gilbert’s children died. He doubled down on his efforts in a series of messages, saying such heartbreak could be “a good thing” if he moved his policies forward.

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Although the text’s revelations shocked the public and upended the Virginia election, many Democrats interviewed by Fox News Digital declined to address the scandal or say whether they thought Jones should be disqualified from the race.

Asked whether Jones should leave his race, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-N.Y., said, “I haven’t thought about it.”

Asked if he had read the text messages, which caused massive political fallout during an already close election in Virginia, Whitehouse replied: “I did not.”

Prominent Sen. Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, simply responded, “I don’t have time right now” and continued to walk away.

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Next, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff gives a television interview on Capitol Hill on July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, called the silence of Democratic senators “staggering, especially given the wave of political violence that we have seen.”

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“In my opinion, the idea that someone advocating the killing of children because he disagrees politically with their father is patently unsuitable for public office, particularly that of Virginia’s law enforcement officer, and I wish there was even one Democrat with the courage to say that publicly,” Cruz said.