JAHD KHALIL: Former Norfolk delegate Jay Jones Jones is running for attorney general.

The Democrat says he's running to protect Virginia families in the age of Donald Trump, something he says Virginia's current Attorney General Jason Miyares, is not doing.

In an interview, he spoke about Miyares a lot more than his primary opponent, Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor.

But before he can run against Miyares, he'll have to beat her.

I asked him what his stances are on issues facing Virginians and the kind of choices Democrats are facing in the primary.

JAY JONES: Virginians are looking for someone to step up and fight for them, to be a leader to protect them.

And in this moment, the attorney general is supposed to be doing that.

And Jason Miyares has failed over the last three months in particular.

Time and time again, so many opportunities to step up and fight on behalf of us and he has not done that.

JAHD KHALIL: You kind of outlined what the choice in the general election is.

What kind of choices are Virginians facing in the primary- or Democrats facing in the primary also?

JAY JONES: Well, we are lucky to have a whole bunch of folks who have stepped up to run for public office.

But I've served in the legislature, we expanded Medicaid, increased teacher pay, raised the minimum wage, did tremendous things, have a track record of bipartisan achievement.

I've been an assistant attorney general doing consumer protection, which is what the Virginia Attorney General's Office should be doing, and they have not been doing for the last three years.

And we went after the big banks, big tech companies, the folks who make us less safe and less secure.

Then I've been, litigating against Gov.

Youngkin and Jason Miyares for the last couple of years in court.

So, I think the legislative background, the public service as well as the private sector success makes us well positioned not only to win this primary and be the best person for this position, but to go beat Jason in the fall.

JAHD KHALIL: How do you see the legal status of skill games in Virginia, and how companies are sort of interpreting that?

There's been some skirting of regulations.

JAY JONES: For me, it's all about protecting people.

The legislature seems like they are addressing it or trying to address it.

The governor has gotten involved, and I think once they resolve that from a legislative perspective, we'll be able to take our assessment and go forward using the law that's on the books or not on the books.

JAHD KHALIL: Are there particular things that youre interested in continuing that his office is doing?

Or are there certain things that you're interested in stopping, like, where are you on those?

JAY JONES: Well, everything is driven by the partisan political agenda that he takes from Fox News we're certainly opposed to that.

He targeted students in Loudoun County and that lawsuit was thrown out.

He targeted an election official in Prince William County that was thrown out.

All of that, I think, is driven by the partisan agenda that they have had for the last three years.

They've been quite open about it.

But we want to make this office work for everybody.

And so that's why we want to go after the price gougers.

Right?

I have two little boys.

Charles will be 3 in June, Zach is 9 months old.

Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are as high as they've ever been and my sons love those fruits.

And we want to make sure that everybody has a fair shot at the grocery store and a fair shake at the proper price.

Pharmaceutical companies who are inflating the cost of prescription drugs that's something that no one is spared from.

We want to be sure were protecting civil rights and civil liberties.

Protecting people from, you know, the corporate landlords who are artificially inflating the cost of rent.

That's what this office should be doing and that's how I intend to have it work for every single person in Virginia, not just the people who voted for me.

You know, part of this, like partisanship, is what lawsuits that other attorney generals are doing and then the Virginia signs on to, or doesn't.

I'm assuming that's what you're talking about.

When you said that he's not protecting Virginians.

How do you see, like, what issues you want to be joining with other attorneys general on and that sort of thing?

JAY JONES: I think what's important for Virginians to know is that every time that Jason Miyares doesn't join one of these lawsuits, we don't get to benefit in those successes.

So those states have had the opportunity to protect their federal workers, to protect their research funding, which trickles down to your hospitals, which trickles down to your higher education institutions.

This touches every single person.

And so on our first day, we'll join those lawsuits.

Now, what's really exciting is that Virginia is in the 4th Circuit, and we have, what I believe to be, decent judges and good case law to go on offense against the administration should they overreach.

JAHD KHALIL: Former Norfolk delegate Jay Jones is running for attorney general.

I'm Jahd Khalil.