BRET MARSTON: Good evening and welcome to tonight's debate between the candidates for the attorney general of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Tonight's debate is being held on the beautiful campus of the University of Richmond.

I am Brett Marston, the current and 87th president of the Virginia State Bar and the managing partner of Gentry Locke Attorneys.

Tonight, we'll be by Democratic candidate, Del.

Jay Jones, and the Republican candidate, Attorney General Jason Miyares.

Tonight's debate has been organized and sponsored by the Young Lawyers Section of the Virginia State Bar with special thanks to the leadership of Dylan Bishop of Willcox Savage.

And thanks to the University of Richmond for its leadership in bringing this event together.

We are pleased to be joined by many students and faculty from the University of Richmond.

The attorney general's debate is normally held at the Virginia State Bar's annual meeting in June in Virginia Beach, but because of this year's primary election schedule, we are holding it at this later point in the campaign cycle.

This debate is an opportunity for voters to hear directly from the candidates on the issues that matter most.

It is my goal as moderator to have the candidates speak directly to as many of the issues that matter in performing the role of Virginia's attorney general as you cast your ballots between now and November 4th.

All questions will be posed by me, the moderator.

The topics and many of the potential questions have been gathered through a portal including from the University of Richmond students, have been vetted by our Young Lawyers Section, and have been finalized by the Virginia State Bar leadership.

Potential topics, but not questions, were provided to each campaign last week.

We're pleased to have a capacity crowd with us tonight.

Thank you for being here.

Before we bring the candidates onto the stage and briefly review the agreed-upon rules for the debate, let me remind the audience of the important role that each of you will play.

We have asked, and the candidates have agreed, to conduct this debate similar to being in an actual courtroom as we are Virginia State Bar attorneys.

We've agreed that we will not talk at the same time or talk over top of one another.

Likewise, other than when the candidates walk onto the stage when you are free to applaud and at the conclusion.

We ask that the audience comport itself as this viewer in a courtroom as well.

We ask for quiet.

Attendees should not shout, heckle, or engage in behavior that disrupts the flow of the debate or prevents others from hearing.

Recording or live streaming the event is prohibited for attendees and attendees must keep their mobile phones on silent and flash photography is not permitted.

Attendees who fail to comply with these rules will be removed by event security staff.

We want all attendees and viewers at home to be able to hear and understand this important discussion.

And now, let's welcome to the stage the two candidates.

And yes, this is an appropriate time for you to applaud.

Let's please welcome first... (audience applauds) Thank you.

Not quite yet, not quite yet.

Let's get it out, right?

Yeah.

Let's first please welcome to the stage Del.

Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate.

(audience cheering) And please welcome Attorney General Jason Miyares, the Republican candidate.

(audience cheering) >>Hey, Jay, good luck.

>>Good luck.

>>Welcome, gentlemen.

The candidates in their campaigns have participated in formulating and have agreed to the rules of the debate.

In short, these are as follows: each candidate will have an opportunity for a four-minute opening and a four-minute closing statement.

We conducted a coin flip with the candidates earlier to determine the order of these statements.

We anticipate eight rounds of questions.

The candidate to whom the question is addressed will have two minutes to respond.

The other candidate will have 90 seconds to address the same or a related question.

It is in my discretion to ask additional related questions or to provide either candidate with additional time to address the topic.

We will keep a timer that is visible to the candidates and me, and upon expiration of the time, the candidates will conclude his sentence in order to keep orderly progress.

Gentlemen, thank you for agreeing to these rules.

And now, let's have a debate that aids the voters of Virginia.

Mr.

Attorney General Miyares, you have the floor for four minutes for your opening, and I remind the audience, please hold any additional applause until the end of the entire debate.

Mr.

Attorney General.

JASON MIYARES: Brett, thanks so much for hosting.

Virginians, thank you for listening.

Four years ago, you hired me to be the top prosecutor in the state of Virginia, the people's protector, because the Virginia of 2021 was a Virginia that was hurting.

The office I inherited saw Virginia with a murder rate at a 20-year high and the highest levels of addiction deaths ever recorded in the history of Virginia.

And I made several promises to you.

I said I was going to work with law enforcement instead of against law enforcement, which we did, launching Operation Bold Blue Line with Gov.

Youngkin to put more cops on our streets.

I promised that we would prosecute repeat violent offenders, which we have by launching Operation Ceasefire because we were saying that 5% of felons were committing over 50% of our violent felonies.

The result, a dramatic reduction in our murder rate, and in our ceasefire cities, reductions of murder as high as 60%.

I promised you, Virginia, we were going to go after our fentanyl dealers that were poisoning our kids, and we have.

My office alone has prosecuted and removed enough fentanyl off our streets that would've taken the lives of 7 million Virginians.

I said we're going to deal with the addiction crisis headlong, and we did.

Launching One Pill Can Kill to educate our children on the dangers of illicit drugs, but also going after the big pharmaceutical companies, suing them and recovering close to $1.5 billion in recoveries.

That money goes to addiction treatment, to get people back on their feet.

We're incredibly proud of the work that we've done because more Virginians are alive today, more Virginians are safer today 'cause of the incredible work we've done in the Attorney General's office.

Now somebody else is on this stage asking to apply for this job.

He's asking you to hire him to be the top prosecutor, but he's ever prosecuted a case a day in his life.

His name is Jay Jones, but we know his legislative record.

His legislative record is one that's anti-police and anti-victim.

Jay Jones has advocated for pulling SROs out of our schools, our school resource officers.

Those are literally the cops that protect our kids at schools.

He wants them out, I want them in our schools.

He voted to end the mandatory reporting requirement of sexual assault in our schools, which led directly to the tragedy in Loudoun where a student walked in, brutally raped a girl in a bathroom, and they get simply transferred to another school where another assault occurred.

He's advocated for no-cash bail, which literally means if you're a carjacker and you get arrested, you can't be held behind bars pending trial.

They're back in the community to victimize more Virginians.

He supports the early felon release program, sign into law by Ralph Northam that has released 9,000 felons into our communities, 50% of them have already been rearrested.

By every standard, Jay Jones does not have the experience or the judgment to serve as the top prosecutor, but now we know something else.

We have seen a window to who Jay Jones is and the way he thinks of people that disagree with him.

Abraham Lincoln said that character is what you do in the dark when no one is watching.

But now we know what he was doing in the dark.

Jay Jones was angry at Todd Gilbert, why?

Because Todd Gilbert said kind words about a Democrat that had passed away, Joe Johnson.

Jay Jones had said that he wanted to piss on the grave of his political opponents.

And what did he want to do to Todd Gilbert?

Two bullets to the head, why?

Because he didn't like his politics.

What's worse?

He wanted Jennifer Gilbert, a mother with two small children, ages 2 and 5, he said that he hoped to see their children die in their arms.

Why?

Because in his own words, he said that "pain is the only way that change can occur."

We know that he has said to a colleague that he hoped cops would die because that's also how change can occur.

I'm so proud to have the endorsement of every single major law enforcement association in this state.

I'm so proud to have the endorsement in over 80 plus sheriffs, and I'm asking you, Virginia, to continue to rehire me to protect you and your family, because Virginians, we deserve an attorney general who wants to represent all of us.

Thank you.

BRETT MARSTON: Thank you, Attorney General Miyares.

Now, Del.

Jones, you have four minutes for the floor for your opening statement.

JAY JONES: Well, thank you to to the Virginia State Bar for hosting us.

It is my honor to be with each and every one of you tonight, and I'm running for Attorney General of Virginia to put Virginia first, to fulfill that promise to every single citizen of this commonwealth.

A promise that is driven by progress, opportunity and safety, that you can build a brighter future for yourself, your children and your grandchildren here in Virginia.

I was raised with the legacy of generations before me who believed in that promise, people who invested in me, and I believe in that promise for my children, and I carried it with me as an assistant attorney general and as a delegate, where we funded law enforcement at record levels, cracked down on sex offenders, expanded access to affordable healthcare here in this commonwealth and took on corporations that were ripping off regular people.

Now, tonight, you're going to hear two very different visions for the future of this commonwealth, and you're also going to hear from my opponent about text messages that I sent that I deeply, deeply regret.

Let me be very clear, I'm ashamed, I'm embarrassed, and I'm sorry.

I'm sorry to Speaker Gilbert.

I'm sorry to his family.

I'm sorry to my family, and I'm sorry to every single Virginian.

I cannot take back what I said, but you have my word that I will always be accountable for my mistakes, and you also have my word that I will spend every waking moment fighting for you.

Now, again, Jason is going to try to make this race about my mistakes, but this race has always been about more.

It's always been about each and every one of you and the future of this commonwealth, and the stakes of this race are too high for it to be about anything else.

Because when Donald Trump fires workers, defunds our schools, and levies tariffs that destroy our regional economies, sends armed troops into cities and defunds law enforcement, he has a willing cheerleader here in Jason Miyares who will not step up to sue.

Where other attorneys general have fought to protect their state's resources and values and institutions, Jason hasn't done that.

When corporate landlords, when big corporations, when utility monopolies rip us off, Jason Miyares doesn't lift a finger because they're his biggest corporate donors.

When Roe v. Wade was overturned, Jason Miyares and Glenn Youngkin cheered, and Jason called it "good and reasonable," and got to work trying to push an abortion ban here in Virginia.

And as we think about the Virginians who stand to lose their healthcare here in this commonwealth, more than 350,000 of them, we know that Jason Miyares hasn't helped them at all and in fact wrote the plan that laid the groundwork for this when he was in the General Assembly.

It is no surprise that President Trump has endorsed Jason for this race, the only statewide elected official to receive that endorsement, threw his arm around him and said he will never let you down.

And when he says you, he means Donald Trump.

Because Donald Trump has spent the last 10 years telling us that he only cares about himself.

I believe in a brighter Virginia.

I believe in the opportunity of Virginia, a Virginia where we protect civil rights and civil liberties, where we reject the agenda for Donald Trump of extremism, and protect our jobs and our healthcare and our economy.

We have an opportunity here to keep our community safe, to crack down on corporations, to crack down on the corporate landlords and make sure we lower drug costs here in this commonwealth.

I believe in that promise that I talked about just a few minutes ago because our futures all depend on it.

We deserve a Virginia that works for every single one of us.

This office that works for every single one of us, that will protect our rights, our values and our resources with the full weight of this office, not somebody who works for the President.

If you believe in that vision, I ask for your support in this campaign because the stakes are too high.

Thank you.

BRETT MARSTON: Thank you, gentlemen, we'll move now to the phase of the debate where I will pose questions to each of you.

You will have two minutes to answer if the questions posed to you and 90 seconds if you're the other candidate.

Mr.

Jones, Del.

Jones, first question is going to be to you, sir.

In 2022, and you've referred to this already, you sent text messages suggesting that then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert deserved two bullets to the head and made disturbing comments about his family, remarks that many including members of your own party have described as "indefensible" and that many people have called "disqualifying."

That same year, you were cited for reckless driving and questions remain about your completion of the required community service.

How do you explain these incidents to the voters who expect restraint, professionalism, and accountability from the state's top law enforcement officer, and why should they trust your judgment moving forward?

You have two minutes.

JAY JONES: Well, I was held accountable, and several years ago, I made very grave mistakes, but I was held accountable not just by the people in my party, but by the Virginia State Police where I had completed a very rigorous Driver Improvement course, paid a substantial fine and completed the terms of the community service as outlined and approved by the New Kent Commonwealth attorney's office and the judge in that county.

I have been held accountable, and I think Virginians deserve leaders who understand when they make mistakes and can be held accountable.

But what we have here in Virginia right now is an attorney general who won't hold the president accountable.

For the last nine months, Donald Trump has run roughshod over this commonwealth.

Jason Miyares has had more than 50 opportunities to sue the administration to protect our values, our ideals and the things we hold near and dear.

Workers have been fired illegally.

This government shutdown continues and people tried to... And they tried to fire workers who are on furlough right now.

The tariffs that have destroyed our regional economies continue to destroy people's pocketbooks here in this commonwealth, make it hard for them to put food on their table, to keep their lights on, to pay their gas bill.

Then the healthcare that is being ripped away from people, more than 350,000, Jason Miyares and his office has not lifted a single finger.

We have to hold this administration accountable, and as your attorney general, I will do just that.

Jason hangs out with Donald Trump at MAGA rallies.

I will see Jason... I will see Jason Miyares and Donald Trump in court as your next attorney general, because that's what this job requires and that's what this job needs in this moment to protect Virginia.

And not only will we protect Virginia and hold Donald Trump accountable, we'll use this office to help address the problems that people in Virginia are talking about right now, lowering costs.

And it's exactly why we put out our lowering cost plan just a few weeks ago to go after corporate bad actors, to go after the corporate landlords, to go after the utility monopolies that are ripping us all off.

We deserve an attorney general who's going to put Virginia first and make sure that we work for ourselves and not for the president.

BRETT MARSTON: Attorney General Miyares, as you know, the attorney general is responsible for prosecuting threats of violence in certain instances.

JASON MIYARES: Brett, will I have the chance to- BRETT MARSTON” Yes, I'm going to... JASON MIYARES: Oh, I'm sorry.

BRETT MARSTON: Let me ask the question, it's going to tie into the same topic, sir.

JASON MIYARESl That's fine.

BRETT MARSTON: Yes.

JASON MIYARES: Okay.

BRETT MARSONT: Based on the incident involving Mr.

Jones, how would you define the line between protected, albeit inappropriate, political speech and a communication that is legally prohibited?

And you can address Mr.

Jones's position as well.

You have 90 seconds.

JASON MIYARES: The reality is that Jay Jones was in court for going 116 mph on Interstate 64.

Four people who were in court that day were going roughly the same speed.

Three of those four people got suspended or active jail sentence.

But Jay Jones is a politician, and he asked the court not to give him any of that, to give him community service, and instead we now know he misled the court.

That community service, it wasn't done for a charity, it was done for his own political action committee that he controlled.

And the reality, Jay, is that your text messages that advocated for violence against innocent children, Jay, if you were to apply to be a line prosecutor, and not just my office, any attorney general office in the country, you will not pass a background check.

And right now, you may say that you are sorry, but look back at what happened.

You had three years to say you're sorry, Jay, and you didn't.

Three years to actually recognize what you did was horrific, you chose to stay silent.

Carrie Coyner called you out then, you doubled down.

It was after she called you out for these text messages that that is when you said you advocated for violence against children.

And when this became public, we now know your first statement wasn't saying "I'm sorry," the words "I'm sorry" wasn't even in your statement.

It was to say "We all send text messages we regret," you attacked the president and you attacked me.

It wasn't until 12 hours after you were first notified that you then decided to say "I'm sorry."

Because at the end of the day, Jay, you are a politician, not a prosecutor, and you certainly can't be the top prosecutor in the state of Virginia.

BRETT MARSTON: Del.

Jones, let me give you 30 seconds to respond, but also just to answer the question that I'd asked earlier, why should voters trust your judgment moving forward?

JAY JONES: Well, look, Brett, I want to say one thing.

Jason Miyares can't prosecute a case against Donald Trump.

That's for sure.

And I'll also say this, I was held accountable by my party and I deeply, deeply respect that.

But what about when Donald Trump used incendiary language to incite a riot to try to overturn an election here in this country?

What about when Winsome Sears used violent language about people who disagree with you and her and your extreme position on abortion?

What about when John Reid shared Nazi porn, you haven't said a word, I have taken accountability for my mistakes.

It's time you take accountability too.

BRETT MARTSON: And let me ask you this one more time, Del.

Jones, just so we're clear and the voters understand, why do you think they should trust your judgment based upon these two events that we've discussed?

JAY JONES: I've taken accountability for my mistakes and I know that people in Virginia right now demand and deserve leaders who accept when they make mistakes and can acknowledge that and have been held accountable.

This job right now demands someone who will hold Donald Trump accountable.

For the last nine months, Jason's had 50 chances to sue the administration, to protect us, to protect our workers, to protect our healthcare, to protect our K-12 funding, funding for law enforcement and his office hasn't done a thing because he's too weak and too scared to stand up to the president.

BRETT MARSTON: All right, we're going to move on to the second topic, gentlemen.

And this one is going to be to Attorney General Miyares.

Attorney General Miyares, critics say you've aligned more closely, and we've heard it already from Del.

Jones, with President Trump's national agenda than with Virginia specific needs, declining to join lawsuits that could have protected state jobs, research funding, and healthcare access.

How do you respond to the charge that your loyalty to President Trump has come at the expense of Virginia's interest?

And can you name a case where you put the Commonwealth first even when it conflicted with the National Republican priorities?

You have two minutes.

JASON MIYARES: Virginians, I ask you to all go on WAVY-TV 10, NBC affiliate, that did a Truth Tracker on Jay Jones false ad.

And his ad alleging what he's saying about myself, they rated it as false.

Why, because I call balls and strikes.

The reality, I've sued both administrations, the Trump administration and the Biden administration.

I have sued to protect our veterans and their GI benefits.

I have always put Virginians first, but the reality is Jay Jones is not a prosecutor.

He is a politician.

He wants to turn this into a political office.

The largest division in the Attorney General's office is the criminal division.

And every day, I work to make Virginians more safe, more prosperous.

That's been our mission.

He wants to fight the fights in Washington.

My interest is fighting the fights and putting the bad guys away out of our streets.

That has been our record.

That was my promise to you.

This office is an executive office.

If Jay Jones wants to fight the fights in Washington, he should run for Congress.

But he's running for the wrong office.

He's asking you to hire him to be the top prosecutor.

And I have to make this observation.

He keeps saying that he is sorry.

Jay, if you're really sorry, you wouldn't be running.

If you really understood the ramifications of what you said about an innocent mom and her children... You know Todd Gilbert, you served with him.

Jennifer would come to the General Assembly, she would bring her children.

We would see them run in the hallways.

They were 2 and 5 years old at the time.

This wasn't a hypothetical, this wasn't some figure that you know from far away.

You actually know Todd.

This is a flesh and blood, real husband.

Jennifer is a real mom.

These are real kids.

How in the world could you ever show compassion and comfort a grieving mother that has ever lost a child to violence?

Because, Virginians, there is no cry like the cry of a mother that has lost her child.

A prosecutor knows this because they've stood in that courtroom.

Jay Jones has never understood this because he is not a prosecutor.

He's a politician trying to save his career.

BRETT MARSTON: Del.

Jones, along those same lines, do you believe that Attorney General Miyares has placed alignment with President Trump's national agenda over the interest of Virginia?

And if you do, please be as specific as you can where you think that has occurred.

You have 90 seconds.

JAY JONES: Well, he's talking a lot about prosecuting cases, but he can't seem to prosecute a case against Donald Trump to save his life.

He mentioned one, and that is respectable, but there are people in Virginia who are out of work.

There are people in Virginia who are going to lose healthcare.

There are communities that are going to lose funding for K-12 and law enforcement because you haven't stepped up to sue the president.

This race and the stakes of this race are very clear about whether or not you want someone who's going to do what Donald Trump says.

That's exactly why Donald Trump endorsed him in this race, put his arm around him and said he will never let you down.

Because again, Donald Trump has spent the last 10 years telling us that he cares more about himself than anyone else.

And we have to make sure we put Virginia first.

I will always fight to make sure that we protect this commonwealth.

I will fight to make sure we join those lawsuits that he has opted out of to protect our workers who were illegally fired by DOGE this spring, to protect those 350,000 of our brothers and sisters here in Virginia who stand to lose their healthcare and the rest of us whose insurance premiums stand to skyrocket.

We have to protect our K-12 funding.

We have to protect our law enforcement funding.

But he can't seem to do that because he is too afraid and too weak to stand up to the president.

As attorney general, I can't wait to see Donald Trump in court.

I will never flinch or back down from him.

I relish that fight because this is about us here in Virginia.

It's not about some guy in Washington who's telling us what to do.

I will push back on the excess and overreach and the chaos and make sure that we deliver for Virginia and put this commonwealth first after three and a half long years.

BRETT MARSTON: Attorney General Miyares, on a related issue that hasn't come up yet, I want to ask on a follow up question about the University of Virginia facing pressure to sign a federal compact that could reshape its policies and state lawmakers are threatening funding cuts in response.

How should the attorney general balance academic freedom, public safety, and political influence from Washington DC when advising Virginia's universities?

JASON MIYARES: Well, listen, I'm a proud product- BRETT MARSTON: I'm going to give you one minute on that.

JASON MIYARES: One minute?

BRETT MARSTON: Yeah, this is a sub question.

JASON MIYARES: Okay, well, I'm a proud product of Virginia public schools.

Unlike Jay Jones, I didn't go to an elite private school.

I went to public schools my entire career.

Our universities have been and will be always protected because of the crown jewel of the commonwealth.

And here's the reality.

You can look at every Virginia state school, not a single school has lost a single dime of any funding or any research.

You can also look at what's happening at other schools, Harvard and Columbia, that have been hit with $400 million of fines, because what we do in Virginia is we protect our schools vigorously.

Now you know, sir, that I'm protected by the attorney-client privilege.

So I can't get into what we advise our schools, but you could see the results.

Our schools under our leadership has been protected and vigorously defended and they always will be because I'm a product of Virginia's universities and our Virginia's K-12 education, because our higher ed system is indeed the crown jewel of the commonwealth.

And I do want to make a quick note.

Right now, Jay Jones can ask Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to do what they've done 13 times under Joe Biden, vote for a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government.

This is your chance, Jay, to actually ask someone in your party to reopen the government.

BRETT MARSTON: Thank you, Attorney General Miyares.

And Del.

Jones, let's stay on the topic of the federal government relationship with the Attorney General's office and particularly as it impacts the University of Virginia's involvement in the compact that I mentioned.

JAY JONESl Well... BRETT MARSTON: One minute.

>>As an alum of both William and Mary and the University of Virginia, I have every vested interest in making sure that our higher education system remains the best in the country.

We slipped in the business rankings in CNBC this year from number one to number four.

And the only thing that kept us at number four was our public education system here in Virginia at the higher ed level.

We fell because Jason Miyares didn't step up and fight back when the federal government illegally fired workers, but we'll get back to that.

What we know about his attorney-client privilege is that it runs straight to Donald Trump.

Whatever Donald Trump says Jason will do.

And that's exactly why so many alums from across this commonwealth and across this country have been embarrassed by what they saw at the University of Virginia.

I was a law student when then Professor Jim Ryan was there and he was adored, revered.

And for him to have been put in a position to make that choice is utterly despicable.

The Attorney General's office is supposed to advise and support and protect our public institutions here.

We have not gotten that from him because Donald Trump and his cronies in Washington want to make an example of us and he has waved the white flag and let them come in.

We can't afford that any longer.

BRETT MARSTON: All right, thank you, gentlemen.

Do you need to take a break to, you know, sip of water?

>>No, I'm great, let's keep going.

BRETT MARSTON: Let's keep going, okay.

Topic three, this one goes to you Del.

Jones.

A major theme of Attorney General Miyares' campaign has been that you are soft on criminal justice issues.

You've been criticized for supporting reforms that opponents say "weaken public safety," including changes to cash bail and early release policies.

How do you respond to concerns that your approach prioritizes leniency over accountability, especially for violent offenders?

You have two minutes.

JAY JONES: Well, I have always believed that the primary job of any elected official at the federal, state or local level is to keep Virginians safe.

And that is something that we are all committed to doing.

I grew up in courtrooms because my mother was a violent crime prosecutor.

She took on the worst of the worst, murders, rapes and robberies.

And in fact, I spent so much time in there and at the Police Operation Center on Virginia Beach Boulevard of Norfolk, Virginia where the cops and sheriffs were oftentimes my babysitters.

It's exactly why as a member of the General Assembly, we funded law enforcement at record levels.

Jason and I sat in that chamber together, I voted yes and he voted no.

And we also cracked down on sex offenders and human trafficking to keep our community safe.

And as an assistant attorney general, I took on the gun lobby.

I took on the largest ghost gun manufacturer in this country and we brought them to their knees and put them out of business because we want to keep our community safe and get guns out of our communities, not flood them, like he and the NRA want to do.

And it's exactly why we created a comprehensive public safety plan that we put out a couple of months ago with three key pillars.

And we did this in conjunction with state and local law enforcement leaders from across this commonwealth, sheriff's, police, commonwealth attorneys, and other vested community activists and people who want to make sure that we achieve our shared common goal of public safety.

Those three key pillars, cracking down on violent crime and supporting victims, and we do that by establishing a dedicated drug trafficking unit in the AG's office, and working with state and local law enforcement to make that a reality.

We got to get these illegal guns off of our streets, ghost guns which are untraceable and illegal.

We took out the largest ghost gun manufacturer in the country.

We can get that done and deliver results here in Virginia, and I look forward to doing that.

And the last pillar is very important to me as a father, keeping our children safe.

We need to establish a dedicated child safety unit to crack down on predators, domestic abusers and the folks who make our kids less safe and less secure.

And we also have to protect them online because we know that those are emerging threats that we face every single day.

With this plan, with our experience and our track record, we can keep Virginia safe and really deliver and get things done BRETT MARSTON: In follow up to that, Attorney General Miyares, you have labeled Mr.

Jones, Del.

Jones as soft on crime, but critics argue you're tough on crime stance ignores racial disparities and the burden of pretrial detention on low income Virginians.

How would your policies ensure both public safety and fairness in the justice system?

And you have 90 seconds, sir.

JASON MIYARES: The reality is Jay Jones is a criminal-first, a victim-last politician.

We know it from his own voting record.

He thought 60 days in prison for a repeat wife beater was too harsh and he said we had to be more thoughtful.

He voted no.

He thought 12 months in prison for a repeat drug dealer to go on school property and deal drugs to our children, including fentanyl, was too harsh.

He voted no.

He voted for the disastrous Northam felon early release program.

9,638 felons were released early and less than two years, 49.8% of them have already been rearrested.

70 Virginians are dead today, dead today because a felon that was supposed to be behind prison got out early because of Jay Jones' vote and law that he championed.

He is not safe to be the people's protector of Virginia.

And let's be clear, there is a reason why the Fraternal Order Police, the PBA and every single major law enforcement association in the state of Virginia has not just endorsed me, Jay, they have said you need to drop out.

And I find it a little bit stunning that today you say one of the pillars of your public safety platform is protecting children.

Were you protecting Jennifer's children when you said you wanted to see them die in their mother's arms?

How can anybody who's ever worked in any of the crimes against children, all of the areas of federal and state, local law department, how can they ever take you seriously be the top prosecutor knowing that you view that children should die to advance a political agenda?

It's unconscionable.

And if you were truly sorry, you would not be running for this office because you disqualified yourself.

BRETT MARSTON: Mr.

Del.

Jones, I'll give you 15 seconds in rebuttal.

JAY JONES: I just want to say that Jason had a chance to sue the Trump administration to protect money that was going to go into our law enforcement communities here in Virginia, and he didn't do it, because time and time again, 50 chances, he still hasn't done it.

Law enforcement, K-12 funding, workers, the list goes on and on.

I think all of those people are wondering, when exactly you're going to step up and protect them?

BRETT MARSTON: Attorney General Miyares, 15 seconds to any response.

JASON MIYARES: There he goes again.

15 times he said the name of the president, not one time as he said the name of victim, that tells me he's a politician, not a prosecutor.

He's never prosecuted a day in his life.

That's the reason why law enforcement has said he has disqualified himself.

Virginians, we could do better than a left wing politician trying to seek a promotion.

JAY JONES: I'm just trying to- BRETT MARSTON: All right, gentlemen.

JAY JONES: With the people who've been victimized- BRETT MARSTON: Thank you, gentlemen.

Thank you, we're going to move on to topic four.

This one will be to you, Attorney General Miyares.

The Virginia Clean Economy Act requires the retirement of fossil fuel power plants in Virginia by the year of 2050.

However, the Virginia Clean Economy Act includes an exception that allows utilities to petition the State Corporation Commission for relief from the law's fossil fuel plant decommissioning requirements if reliability is threatened.

What circumstances do you believe are necessary to trigger the reliability exception?

And would you consider issuing an advisory opinion on the matter?

You have two minutes.

JASON MIYARES: Well, there's a big difference between myself and my opponent.

He supports a carbon tax that would cost Virginians an estimated between $200 and $500 million a year added to your utility prices.

He claims he wants to lower prices.

Let me tell you, when you're a struggling family, energy prices are one of the highest.

And let's be clear, Jay Jones voted for the single largest corporate giveaway in the history of Virginia to Dominion.

He voted that 100% of the offshore wind project in Virginia, $10 billion on the back of rate payers and taxpayers.

He voted for that, I voted no.

And I'm the first attorney general ever to take Dominion to task.

It was my office that went to the State Corporation Commission and told Dominion no more.

You're not going to put $10 billion on the back of rate payers.

We forced them to the table, to the negotiating table, and now $3 billion, for the first time ever, they have skin in the game, the first utility project they've ever done, where they now actually have to pay out of their own pocket instead of your pocket.

Jay Jones gave the largest corporate giveaway in the history of Virginia to Dominion.

I took them in front of the SCC and I held them accountable.

And the reality is, he has a very, very, very different vision of energy.

I'm an all the above approach.

I believe in energy abundance.

If you want to wreck a state's economy, adopt policies that make you energy poor.

And that's exactly what RGGI will do to everyday working class Virginians.

It will be a carbon tax on your wallet, a carbon tax on your business.

You want to keep Virginia as one of the best states to do business?

One of the ways you have to do it is have energy abundance.

And so I'm fully confident that common sense will prevail because I said no to Dominion when they tried to do a rate increase this year.

I said no to Appalachian Power when they try to do a rate increase earlier this year.

I'm proud of the work the men and women in our office have done protecting those rate payers.

And if you continue to hire me to protect you and your family, we'll do so again, thank you.

BRETT MARSTON: Can I ask you Attorney General Miyares just to address as well the reliability standard and whether your office would consider issuing an advisory opinion on that matter?

15 seconds.

JASON MIYARES: I am all the above.

And I think you have to be able to have natural gas in the mix, that is going to be a critical component moving forward.

And I'm old enough to remember when natural gas was considered clean energy.

But now, if you actually look at America's carbon footprint, America's carbon footprint is the same today as it was in 2010.

Even though we've added a hundred million people to our population.

BRETT MARSTON: Okay.

JASON MIYARES: One of the reasons is the technology, but one of the big reasons is natural gas.

We have to be able to have an all-the-above approach.

JASON MIYARES: Thank you, Attorney General Miyares.

We're going to move on to Delegate Jones on the same topic.

No problem, I do want to make sure that we get a clear understanding from you Del, Jones as to your understanding and view on the reliability exception to Virginia Clean Energy, excuse me, clean Economy Act and whether you would consider issuing an advisory opinion on that matter.

JAY JONES: Well, as many of you know, I hail from Hampton Roads, which I believe to be one of our most beautiful pieces of this commonwealth, and I grew up next to the Elizabeth River, enjoying a beautiful environment like so many others.

But right now, our environment is under threat and I know that we can all agree, and it's not partisan, that we want clean air and clean water.

And the only way for us to do that is to hold our biggest corporate polluter accountable, that's Dominion Energy.

And I want to be very clear and be very open, they're his largest campaign contributor.

He cannot stand here and say that he's going to hold them accountable when they are aligning his pockets with all of that money.

Now, for my entire career, I have tried to hold them accountable, and as attorney general, we will do that.

This rate increase is unacceptable.

He can't stand up to them because he is bought and paid for by Dominion Energy.

I can't wait to unleash our Consumer Protection Unit to go and fight for the people here in Virginia to lower their costs.

That's what this race is about.

The stakes couldn't be more clear.

We have to make sure we're deploying every resource at our disposal to fight for regular people and make sure that we lower their costs.

One of the biggest drivers of people's cost increase right now is their energy bill, and under Jason Miyares, it has gone up every month for the last three years, and right now, there is a rate increase that stands to increase people's bills by $21 a month.

He can't stand up to them and he won't.

I will hold them accountable.

I will make sure that we have a clean environment, we hold these corporate polluters accountable, and we lower costs and deliver results here for Virginians who are feeling the squeeze.

JASON MIYARES: Attorney General Miyares, on that same line of questioning, you mentioned RGGI, which is a Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, could you take 30 seconds and explain your position on Virginia's role in the RGGI?

JASON MIYARES: I think working class Virginians can't afford a carbon tax on their every day of their monthly energy bills, which Jay Jones supports, will be between $200 and $500 million a year on the rate payers.

They simply can't afford that.

I came from a struggling family that at times, we worried about how we're going to pay our energy bills.

When gas prices went up, it affected us directly.

Let me explain.

This is a tax on working class Virginians, which Jay Jones supports and which I oppose.

That is a huge difference between the two of us- BRETT MARSTON: Del.

Jones, what is your position on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiatives?

JAY JONES: Well, as a member of the General Assembly, I voted to put us in RGGI, and it was signed by the governor.

And then Governor Youngkin came in and said we're out of RGGI, which is patently illegal, but was sanctioned by Jason Miyares, because he is too beholden to his party to step up for regular people.

You got to know the law and you got to know what's legal and what's illegal.

For me, we have to make sure we protect our environment, clean air and clean water, and hold those people accountable so that people in Virginia can get that relief that they need.

They're feeling pain at the gas pump, they're feeling pain at the grocery store, they're feeling pain on their electric bills, and that's the challenge that we have and we have to make sure we're addressing it head on.

BRETT MARSTON: All right, the fifth topic we're going to move on to, Del.

Jones, this question is to you.

Many of the voters may not have focused on this attorney general's race until recently or may not have a clear understanding of what the role of the Attorney General of Virginia actually is.

Please explain your view of the top three responsibilities of this job and explain to the voters why you see those as the priorities for this office.

You have two minutes.

JAY JONES: Well, look, in these very challenging times, Virginians are desperate for an attorney general who's going to step up and protect them.

And right now, they haven't gotten that because in particular in these last nine months, Jason has not held the president accountable because he's too weak to stand up to the president and too scared, because the policies that are coming out of Washington are making us all less safe and less secure.

There are thousands of workers who are wondering whether or not you're going to do your job and try to protect them.

There are people who are going to lose their healthcare, who are wondering whether or not you're going to step up.

There are communities that are going to lose funding for their schools and for their law enforcement who are desperate to know when you're going to do your job.

That is about protecting Virginia and putting Virginia first.

The stakes of this race are too high for us to continue down this road where Donald Trump gets his way here in Virginia every single day.

We deserve an attorney general who's going to put Virginia first and protect us, protect our assets, protect our resources, protect our institutions and we will do that.

And we also deserve an attorney general who's got a forward-looking vision, an affirmative vision to meet the challenges of right now, to lower costs, to go after those corporations that are jacking up prices and ripping us off, to go after those utility monopolies that are getting their way every day here in Virginia and making our energy bills go up, to go after those pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices to put money back into Virginia's pockets.

It's exactly why we released our lowering cost plan.

They also want safe communities, and it's exactly why we released our public safety plan, to make sure that we hone in on three key pillars of cracking down on violent crime, getting illegal guns off of our streets and protecting our children and making sure that we put all of our energy behind doing that just that.

As attorney general, I will always put Virginia first.

The stakes of this race are too high for us to continue down this road with someone who takes his orders from Washington and takes his orders from his party as opposed to stepping up and doing the right thing.

He talks about calling balls and strikes.

He talks about common sense.

There are millions of Virginians who are wondering what version of common sense and balls and strikes that you're talking about.

BRETT MARSTON: Attorney General Miyares, what are your three priorities as attorney general and would they change in a second term?

JASON MIYARES: Protecting Virginians, that's been always my number one mission.

Your safety has been my number one mission as your attorney general.

As I've noted, when I came in, our murder rate was at a 20-year high.

Our violent crime rate was at a 30-year high.

Our addiction deaths rate was the highest we've ever seen.

But because of the work we've done, Virginia is the number one drop of any state in the entire country in the drop in addiction deaths, more than double the national average.

We're incredibly proud of the work that we do every day protecting Virginians, because the largest division in the Attorney General's office is the criminal division.

Ask yourself this question, how could Jay Jones lead the extraordinary men and women in the Attorney General's office of Virginia when he wouldn't himself pass a background check to take on this role?

How can he ever work with the law enforcement, the police officers, those guardians that we work with every day in the attorney general's office knowing that he told the colleague he hoped cops would die.

Why, to advance a political agenda.

JAY JONES: I never said that.

JASON MIYARES: He is simply not fit for this office.

So number one, my office has always been about protecting Virginians.

That also means consumer protection.

We have gotten some of the largest settlements in the history of Virginia against big pharmaceutical companies that targeted Virginians.

We've had $1.2 billion in recovery and consumer protection.

Why, because standing up for Virginia has always been what I've done, either protecting you from criminal misconduct or corporate misconduct, that's been my mission as the people's protector of Virginia.

And I'm asking you to rehire me for four more years so I can continue that mission.

This is not a political office.

This is a crime fighting office.

BRETT MARSTON: Gentlemen, as a follow up to that question, 15 seconds each, you believe the office of the Attorney General of Virginia should be viewed as a political office or a legal one?

Del.

Jones.

JAY JONES: It's clearly a legal one and that's exactly why we have to hold the president accountable, go after Donald Trump, and the bad actions of this administration to put money back into Virginia's pockets, to protect us from the excess and the overreach and the chaos.

Again, workers have been fired.

People are struggling to put food on the table, a roof over their heads, pay their bills because they're out of work, and you haven't done your job to protect them.

It's a very simple legal concept that he doesn't seem to understand.

BRETT MARSTON: Thank you, Delegate Jones, Attorney General Miyares, is it a political or a legal office?

JASON MIYARES: It is an office to protect Virginians.

As the Fraternal Order Police has referred to me as the top prosecutor in the state, that is my job.

Jay Jones wants fights in Washington.

He's running for the wrong office.

He clearly, because the amount of times he's talking about Washington, he should be running for Congress.

But this office, it's about protecting you, your communities, protecting your small businesses.

That's always been my mission as your attorney general.

BRETT MARSTO: Thank you- JASON MIYARES: It's been my mission from day one.

BRETT MARSTON: Thank you, Attorney General.

We'll move on to our sixth topic.

This one will be addressed to Attorney General Miyares.

As Virginia's chief law enforcement officer, how do you approach the balance between federal directives and state priorities when it comes to enforcing immigration laws, and what principles guide your decisions about cooperation with federal agencies?

You have two minutes.

JASON MIYARES: One of my earliest memories was my mother coming into our kitchen to ask me to teach her the Pledge of Allegiance.

That's when I learned my family was a little different, because my mother fled communist Cuba to this remarkable country.

And one of my earliest memories was seeing her take that oath of allegiance, to get to her citizenship to the United States.

I've always understood this unique role I have as the first child of an immigrant ever elected to this office.

So if your family came to this country seeking hope and opportunity, there's a good chance your family is a lot like my family, and I'm so honored to be your attorney general.

The reality is, is that we saw during the Biden administration 8.2 million illegal immigrants that crossed our southern border, that's larger than the population of 32 US states.

83% of the people during the Biden administration that were apprehended at the border were simply given a ticket, a notice for a court hearing that are seven or eight years from now.

They literally never even showed up.

And so what we have is around the country, every state has become a border state.

We have seen it in Virginia.

We've seen it by these transnational gangs like MS-13 and TdA.

They are ruthless, they are violent.

It's not just narcotics trafficking, it's human trafficking.

It's extortion.

Every community they enter into, they hurt the innocent.

My job is to protect the innocent and go after these violent transnational gangs that are hurting Virginians, which we have done.

As I've noted, my office alone has prosecuted and removed enough fentanyl off the streets that would've taken the lives of 7 million Virginians.

And so I think it's important for us to recognize that what we are attempting to do is remove illegal immigrants that have committed violent acts and broken and committed felonies against Virginians.

And the 1.4 million illegals that have already had a court hearing under the Biden administration were already ordered to leave the country, and in the previous administration, it was never enforced.

My view as the people's protector is safe communities for all of our citizens.

BRETT MARTSON: Del.

Jones, you just heard your opponent's perspective on balancing federal immigration directives with Virginia's own priorities.

How would your approach differ, if at all, and particularly when it comes to deciding when and how the attorney general should cooperate with federal immigration authorities?

You have 90 seconds.

JAY JONES: Well, as attorney general, you're supposed to enforce the laws here in Virginia and that's what we'll do to the best of our ability.

But the overarching principle that I think we all can support and commit to is that we have to protect civil rights and civil liberties here in this commonwealth and make sure that everybody is afforded due process.

Now, I will also say that when we talk about immigration right now, Republicans have full control of Washington and have not lifted a finger to try to help alleviate some of the problems that we are seeing.

Now, I'm waiting for their action on that.

But I will also say that we have to protect against federal overreach.

My conversations with law enforcement across this commonwealth, at both the state and local level, have been very clear about how they just want to do their jobs and don't want to be told what to do by the federal government.

But right now, we have an Attorney General who can't seem to let the federal government off the hook.

He wants to make sure that they can do whatever they want.

And if Donald Trump says, "Come on down to Virginia, I want to come to Virginia," he will let him.

And that's exactly why Donald Trump endorsed him in this race.

We need to make sure that we are putting Virginia first in protecting our communities.

And that's exactly why we put out our public safety plan just a couple of months ago with those three key pillars done in conjunction with state and local law enforcement leaders who just want to do their jobs.

They just want to have clear directives.

They just want to make sure that they can keep their communities safe.

And as attorney general, I will always support them, I will always work with them to make sure that they have the resources they need and can accomplish their jobs to keep us all safe every single day.

BRETT MARTSON: Attorney General Miyares, 30 seconds to respond.

JASON MIYARES: I remember doing a ride along with federal agents during the Biden administration on an MS-13 gang member that was indicted on a rape charge, and a local sheriff just let him walk out of the jail after he made bond.

They had to assemble an eight-man team of federal agents to track him down.

I saw him leave.

I saw him flee right in front of school bus children waiting to board the school bus.

When, Jay, you support laws or against laws requiring localities to actually work and cooperate with federal authorities, it puts innocent Virginians at risk.

And I want to be able to work and make sure that all Virginians in every community are safe.

And I want to go after transnational gangs as we've already been doing on MS-13 and TdA.

The reality is you're a politician who wants to pick fights in Washington.

You're not a prosecutor.

This is not a political office.

This is a crime fighting office.

BRETT MARSTON: Thank you, Attorney General Miyares, 30 seconds to conclude this topic, Del.

Jones.

JAY JONES: Again, Virginians are just waiting for you to prosecute a case against Donald Trump.

People are hurting right now.

What do you say to those federal workers who are at home who got fired illegally earlier this year?

What do you say to those people who are going to lose their health care based on a plan that you wrote a few years ago, by the way?

What do you say to those families who are struggling right now because the tariffs, that have also been declared illegal, have destroyed their bank accounts?

If you're going to prosecute a case, you should prosecute the president.

But you're too afraid, you're too scared and you're too weak to stand up to him.

I have no problem.

I cannot wait to see Donald Trump in court and protect Virginia, to put us first, and get what we deserve.

BRETT MARTSON: All right gentlemen, we're going to move on to our seventh topic.

This one will be directed to you, Del.

Jones.

The Virginia Human Rights Act establishes protections against unlawful discrimination and employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit.

It also authorizes the Office of Civil Rights within the Office of the Attorney General to investigate and enforce violations of these rights.

As attorney general, how do you interpret the scope and intent of the Virginia Human Rights Act, and which specific types of discrimination would you prioritize for investigation and enforcement through the Office of Civil Rights?

You have two minutes.

JAY JONES: Well, I stand before you all on the stage as the descendant of slaves, the grandchild of people who endured Jim Crow, the son of people who braved segregation and my father and my uncle integrated schools in Norfolk in the early 1960s.

So civil rights is something that is in my blood.

It is something that is very deep and meaningful to me.

And as your attorney general, I will always protect Virginian's civil rights and civil liberties.

And it's exactly why we have proposed to fully staff up and flesh out the Civil Rights Office in the attorney general's office.

Three years ago, when he took over, he fired everybody.

And so we have not been operating at full capacity and Virginians haven't been protected.

And it's unfortunate, but you have my word that I will spend every day fighting for Virginians to protect their civil rights.

And right now, we have an opportunity to enshrine a constitutional right to an abortion here in Virginia.

And that is something that I look forward to protecting as attorney general.

I am very, very worried about the prospect of Jason and his ability to do his job and defend that when it passes because of his extreme record on abortion.

When we are in the General Assembly, he voted time and time again to undermine a woman's right to choose.

As attorney general, he and Glenn Youngkin got to work and tried to push an abortion ban here in Virginia, something that is far out of step with the rest of this commonwealth, and I look forward to protecting a woman's civil right and civil liberty here in this commonwealth as your attorney general.

But it goes even larger than that because right now, we have to make sure that everybody is protected under the Virginia Human Rights Act and that people can come to this office and know that we are going to work for them, because people are also scared about Donald Trump threatening our civil rights and civil liberties.

Time and time again over these last nine months, Jason's had a chance to step up and protect us, I believe it's over 50, and he hasn't lifted a finger.

In Virginia, people are desperate for an attorney general.

They're desperate for leadership, for someone who's going to step up and hold the president accountable when he infringes on our rights.

I will always fight for this commonwealth.

I will always work for everybody here to make sure that they are protected.

And it doesn't matter where you come from, what you look like or who you pray to because the law knows no bounds.

BRETT MARSTON: On that same topic, Attorney General Miyares, can you share how your approach might differ whether in terms of legal interpretation, strategic focus, or the types of systemic discrimination you believe are most urgent to address in Virginia today?

And you have 90 seconds.

JASON MIYARES: We're incredibly proud of our Office of Civil Rights and the incredible work they've done from day one in the attorney general's office.

The reality is it's my office that secured the single largest civil rights protection verdict in the history of the attorney general's office on housing discrimination.

Because I've always believed that the full fabric of our community has to cross the finish line together.

And you can see the work we've done protecting all Virginians.

I'll give you an example, Thomas Jefferson High School.

We found out that Thomas Jefferson High School was discriminating against our Asian students.

They had an equity consultant they hired that literally put in an advisory that they be had to be willing to treat some students, in their words, "purposefully unequally."

I don't want to ever live in a Virginia where any Virginian is treated purposefully unequally.

And anti-Asian bigotry is wrong.

We stood up and said no and found that Thomas Jefferson High School had indeed violated these students' civil rights.

But I do find that amazing, Jay, that you talk about the importance of protecting women when it was your vote and your advocacy that put biological men in women's sports teams, in their locker rooms, in their private spaces.

I'm proud of the work we've done standing up for women.

I'm proud of the work when the Roanoke College women's swim team voted unanimously that they did not want a biological male on their swim team.

I stood up for them and found that Roanoke College had violated those swimmers' civil rights.

You will never stand up for female athletes and their desire to be able to compete on the training field.

BRETT MARSTON: 15 seconds to respond, Del.

Jones.

JAY JONES: Well, he talks about protecting people in housing.

There is a apartment complex here in Richmond, the Southwood apartment complex that was rife with roaches and rats and mold.

When he took over, he shut that investigation down, fired the investigator, and then magically got a whole bunch of money from the people who owned it.

He's beholden to his corporate donors.

Those people are still waiting for an answer from you and it's unbelievable for him to stand up here and talk about that.

He is beholden to his corporate donors.

He only does what they and Donald Trump say.

We deserve someone who's going to protect everybody here in Virginia.

BRETT MARSTON: Thank you, Del.

Jones.

15 seconds to respond, Attorney General Miyares.

JAYSON MIYARES: There goes again.

He's a politician that will say anything for this job.

The reality is, my office secured the single largest civil rights verdict in the history of the Attorney General's office, a verdict triple the size of the previous largest verdict.

We will protect any and all Virginians as we have from day one from discrimination because I'm a passionate believer that the full fabric of our community has to cross the economic finish line together.

JAY JONES: Those folks at Southwood are still waiting for an answer.

BRETT MARSTON: We're good, thank you.

We're going to cut it off right there, and we'll move on to topic eight, gentlemen.

Topic eight relates to a sticker that I gave each one of you gentlemen prior to the debate.

And it fits in with one of the key themes of the Virginia State Bar this year, being that "Virginia lawyers make a difference."

This theme recognizes the important role that Virginia attorneys have made in our nation and our commonwealth as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

How do you view the role of Virginia lawyers in continuing to make a real positive difference in our society?

The question is addressed to you for two minutes, Attorney General Miyares.

JASON MIYARES: The whole reason why I'm a lawyer is that my uncle Angel Miyares got arrested during the Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba.

He was taken in the middle of the night with a gun to his head by Castro's secret police.

He was taken to an empty baseball stadium where he suffered the humiliation of a mock execution.

Why, because he simply had the wrong ideas about Fidel Castro.

That was what caused me to decide to go into the law, because I couldn't understand how he could live in a society where ideas mattered more than people.

I've always believed that my job as the attorney general is to protect all Virginians.

My uncle's story is what inspired me, this idea that indeed everyone has individual value.

A wise Marine once told me this.

If you go to Arlington National Cemetery and you go to a walk among those crosses and those Stars of David, there's not an R or a D next to anyone's name.

And to never forget that someone that thinks differently than you politically has literally died for this country.

That's how I view people that think differently than me politically.

Jay Jones has a very different mindset, we've seen it.

You all have heard from me and you know who I am.

We now know who Jay Jones is, by his own writings, that he wants to piss on the grave of his political opponents, that he wants to see Todd Gilbert with two bullets in his head, and that he wants to see a child as young as 2 years old die in his mother's arms.

To be an attorney with integrity, you have to represent all Virginians.

Jay, how can you ever say you want to represent people that think differently than you politically now that we know that you want to see violence against those because they have the wrong ideas?

Every autocratic regime on this country, the people in charge always think ideas matter more than people.

I've always respected every Virginian's dignity because that's how I was raised.

We are a unique country with a unique mission.

We are the envy of the world.

We have given more second chances than more people of different faith, colors and creeds.

And our society can only work if we recognize the humanity in all of us, not just some of us.

BRETT MARSTON: Del.

Jones, please provide your perspective on how Virginia lawyers can and should make a difference.

You have 90 seconds.

JAY JONES: Well, again, I stand before you all tonight as the grandson of a civil rights attorney.

Hillary Jones Sr.

was born in Norfolk in 1923, grew up in Huntersville, made his way to Virginia State, had to go north to go to law school because of segregation in the South, used used books to pass the bar exam on his first try of which we are all incredibly proud to this day.

And he dedicated his life to helping others, to protecting people's civil rights and civil liberties in this commonwealth.

My father, Gerald Jones, who we lost a little earlier this year, is one of the few people to have served in all three branches of government in this commonwealth, dedicating his life as a lawyer, a delegate, and an agency head and then later as a judge, and my mother, a violent crime prosecutor, murders, rapes and robberies for her entire career.

So I know the awesome responsibility that lawyers have in Virginia to keep us safe and to protect us, to protect our civil rights and our civil liberties and keep our communities as safe and secure as possible.

And that's why I'm running for attorney general, to make sure that we have someone who will hold President Trump accountable.

Because right now Virginians are desperate for leadership to help them alleviate this cost issue, to help keep their community safe, to help protect their health care because we deserve an attorney general who will hold the federal government and President Trump accountable as opposed to letting him destroy our values and our institutions and our resources and our bottom lines.

So I know the awesome power that the law can wield.

And as your attorney general, I will spend every day putting Virginia first, fighting for us, and making sure that we get our fair share.

BRETT MARSTON: All right, gentlemen, we're going to move on to the closing statements, but before we do that, let you collect your thoughts for a second.

Get a sip of water if you need to.

I think this is one time when we ought to just give them both a real round of applause.

(audience applause) Thank you, we'll now move on to the closing statements.

As I mentioned earlier, each candidate has four minutes.

Based on the coin flip, Del.

Jones, you go first.

You have four minutes.

Thank you, and floor is yours.

JAY JONES: Well, thank you again to the Virginia State Bar for hosting this wonderful event.

It has been my honor to be with you tonight.

And as I mentioned in the beginning, you were going to hear two very different views of the future of Virginia.

And the stakes could not be more high and the differences could not be more clear, because we have an opportunity to chart a new course or we can continue on with the same stuff that we've had for the last three and a half years, where workers are legally fired and no one steps up, where people's pocketbooks are under siege because of illegal tariffs that have gone unchallenged, where people stand to lose health care in this commonwealth, more than 350,000, and others have their insurance premiums skyrocket, where a woman's right to an abortion will be under siege, where our communities feel less safe and less secure because their funding that they so desperately need goes away.

Right now we have an attorney general in Jason Miyares who is a willing cheerleader for Donald Trump.

He has done nothing to help us and protect Virginia in these last nine months.

He has been a cheerleader for the president.

Again, they hang out at MAGA rallies together.

I will see Donald Trump in court to hold him accountable for Virginia.

And I also talked about that promise, the one that we want to fulfill to every single citizen in this commonwealth that is driven by progress, opportunity and safety.

And it's exactly why we have listened to our friends and neighbors and family members and coworkers and strangers from across the commonwealth about the challenges that they face right now.

People complain about costs being high, we put out a plan to lower costs, to go after the corporations, to root out corporate fraud, waste and abuse, to hold utility and monopolies accountable, to make sure that we go after those pharmaceutical companies that are raking in profits that belongs in your pocket.

It's exactly why we put our public safety plan together, a comprehensive public safety plan made in conjunction with state and local law enforcement leaders from across this commonwealth, people who are dedicated to making sure that all of our communities are safe and secure.

We can crack down on violent crime, we can support victims.

We'll create a dedicated drug trafficking unit.

We'll work with local law enforcement to get that done.

We'll get illegal guns off of our streets.

I've done it as an assistant attorney general.

We don't want more guns on our street corners, we want less.

And it's exactly why we'll also protect our kids, to keep them safe with a dedicated child safety unit to make sure that we crack down on the abusers and the predators and all of the folks who want to do our children harm and also keep them safe from the threats that they see online that are emerging every single day.

It's exactly why we'll hold the corporate landlords accountable who jack up rents and make it unaffordable to live.

People deserve to have a roof over their head and the Attorney General's office deserves to put its full weight behind it as opposed to siding with the corporate landlords.

And again, we have to make sure that we hold those utilities accountable because we deserve honest and fair bills as opposed to rates that continue to rise.

That is the promise that I believe in here in Virginia.

It's exactly why I'm asking for your support as attorney general.

We have a chance to chart a very different future.

Donald Trump doesn't run this commonwealth.

Jason Miyares seems to think that that's who his boss is.

He'd rather be Donald Trump's pro bono attorney than do his job.

And it's exactly why Donald Trump endorsed him, the only one running on the Republican ticket this year, for reelection.

He said, "Jason will never let us down."

And you all know that Donald Trump has spent the last 10 years telling us every day that he cares more about himself than anyone else.

Virginians deserve an attorney general who will hold him accountable, who will protect us from the excess and overreach that you're seeing every single day, to fight for those Virginians who are illegally fired, to protect our pocketbooks, to protect our health care, to make sure that we use every ounce of our bodies to protect civil rights and civil liberties here in this commonwealth, including a woman's right to an abortion.

These are the stakes.

They couldn't be higher, and they couldn't be more clear.

I ask for your support in this election come November 4, and I look forward to working with each and every one of you to build a more prosperous Virginia and fulfill that promise that we owe to the generations behind us.

BRETT MARSTON: Thank you, Del.

Jones.

Attorney General Miyares, you have four minutes for your closing statement.

JASON MIYARES: Virginians, four years ago you hired me to be your people's protector, and we're so proud of the victories we've done.

You heard us talk about it tonight, a double-digit drop in our murder rate and our violent crime rate in Virginia, the biggest drop in addiction deaths of any state in the entire country.

Because this office, it's not a partisan office.

It's about protecting all Virginians.

I have never asked the crime victim that I've ever met whether they even voted for me because I view my job as to be the people's protector.

Virginians, I have a sign in my office in Richmond that I see every day when I walk in and sit at my desk.

It's one of my favorite quotes from Thomas Jefferson.

It is this, "I have never found the difference of opinion in politics, philosophy, or religion as cause to withdraw from a friend."

In other words, I may disagree with you politically, but I'm not going to withdraw the gift of friendship to you.

And I certainly would never withdraw protection from all Virginians.

That's a very different vision than Jay Jones.

Virginians, ask yourself this question.

How can we trust Jay Jones who was standing in front of a judge to stand in front of a judge again when we know he avoided jail time after going 116 mph on Interstate 64 and avoided jail time by promising to do community service for his own political action committee and never told the court.

How can we trust Jay Jones to prosecute an MS-13 gang member knowing that he asked for an innocent Virginian to get two bullets to his head?

How could Jay Jones ever be trusted to comfort a grieving mother who has lost a child to violence knowing that he hoped that a child as young as 2 years old would die in Jennifer's arms?

How can we trust... How can we trust Jay Jones to ever work with our law enforcement heroes knowing that he said to a colleague that he hoped cops would die?

Why, because in his own words, "It is only through pain that change occurs."

Virginians, we could do so much better.

We all look at Washington DC and we shake our heads, both parties, Republican and Democrats, have said things about each other and to each other in Washington that's simply deplorable.

But we have this moment in Virginia, we've always called it the Virginia way, that is now on the ballot.

The Virginia way simply means that despite the dysfunction in Washington, in Richmond, we're going to elevate decorum and decency.

The eyes of the world, Virginia, are now on us, not just the nation, the world.

I fielded press calls as far away as Asia and Europe because they're curious about what in the world is happening in Virginia.

Are we going to pass the test of decency?

This is unlike anything we've ever seen.

Somebody advocating to be the top prosecutor in the state whose job is to stop violence, who's actually advocated for violence.

And he may seek forgiveness now, but the reality is, he's seeking a promotion.

So Virginians, this is our moment.

Because Virginians, we don't follow, we lead.

We could set an example for the entire country that we expect a minimum of decency in our leaders.

That is what's on the ballot today.

And I'm asking you to join me, because Virginians, I've been all over the state.

From Bristol to the Eastern Shore, you deserve a government as good and as decent as you are.

That's the idea that I've always had as a people's protector, as your attorney general.

And if I can also close with this, this week is the 60th anniversary where a scared 19-year-old girl got on an airplane in Havana, Cuba.

She was homeless and she was penniless, but she wasn't hopeless, because her dream was to come to this remarkable country.

That was my mother, Miriam Miyares.

She raised me always to believe in the American miracle.

And part of that miracle is this idea that we can never settle our differences through violence.

That is who we are as a people.

My mother's not doing too well tonight.

And so to Mamita, (speaks foreign language).

Thank you so much for how you raised me.

Virginians, please rehire me to continue to protect you and your family as your attorney general.

It's been an honor.

BRETT MARSTON: Let's give them applause, please.

audience applause (Brett clears throat) Thank you.

It's been an honor to moderate this debate with you gentlemen tonight.

This does conclude tonight's debate.

And I want to thank the candidates for the spirited discussion and most importantly, for adhering so well to tonight's rules.

We are lawyers after all.

(audience applauding) Hang on one second, guys.

I do want to take care of two more points of business very quickly.

Thanks again to the Young Lawyers Section of the Virginia State Bar and the University of Richmond for sponsoring and conducting and hosting tonight's debate.

And on behalf of the Virginia State Bar, thank you for attending either in person or online.

And for those of you eligible to vote, we encourage you to do so between now and November 4.

Thanks again and good night.

(audience applauding)