Image Credit: Win McNamee / Staff / Getty Images 
The Virginia governor’s race is now a dead heat after Thursday night’s live debate, in which the Democrat candidate, Abigail Spanberger, refused to disavow a fellow Democrat who was exposed as fantasizing about the murder of an opponent and his children.
According to a poll by Trafalgar, 47.7% of likely voters in the state favour Spanberger, while 45.1% prefer the Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears. Given that the margin of error for the poll is 2.9%, the result is a statistical tie.
The poll was taken in the immediate aftermath of Thursday night’s debate, when Democrat candidate Spanberger refused multiple times to disavow Jay Jones, who is currently running to be Virginia’s next attorney general.
Jones has faced intense scrutiny and calls to withdraw from the race after text messages surfaced in which he said a state Republican politician deserved “two bullets” in the head. He also said the politician’s children should be killed as a way to make his wife rethink her political positions.
The text messages were brought up by Earle-Sears, who asked Spanberger directly whether she would demand Jones remove himself from the running.
“Abigail, when are you gonna take Jay Jones and say to him, ‘You must leave the race?’” Earle-Sears asked.
“He has said he wants to murder his political opponent, and not only that—his opponent’s children.”
Spanberger remained tight-lipped.
“My opponent needs to answer about Jay Jones,” Earle-Sears demanded.
Spanberger was pressed by the moderator about when she learned of the text messages, which date to August 2022, and whether she still endorses his candidacy for the role of attorney general.
Spanberger said the comments were “absolutely abhorrent,” but failed to answer the question, prompting a rebuke from the moderator.
“I didn’t hear an answer there on the endorsement issue,” the moderator said.
So, I want to just make sure. Will you continue to endorse Jay Jones to be the next attorney general of Virginia? And were you aware of these text messages before they released?”
Spanberger continued to refuse to answer the question whether she still endorsed Jones, instead saying that it was “up to every voter to make their own individual decision.”
Later in the debate, President Trump’s remarks at Charlie Kirk’s funeral were brought up, and Earle-Sears again turned to Spanberger and demanded she call for Jones to drop out.
“Jay Jones advocated the murder, Abigail, the murder of a man, a former speaker, as well as his children who were two and five years old,” the Republican said, directly addressing her opponent.
“You have little girls. What would it take? Him pulling the trigger? Is that what would do it? And then you would say he needs to get out of the race?” Earle-Sears continued.
Spanberger once again refused to answer, looking straight ahead and away from her opponent.
“Abigail? You have nothing to say, Abigail? What if he said it about your three children? Is that when you would say he should get out of the race? Abigail, you’re running to be governor,” Earle-Sears continued.
“Have some political courage. What you have done is you are taking political calculations about your future as governor.
“Well, as governor, you have to make hard choices. And that means telling Jay Jones to leave the race.”
The new Trafalgar poll also indicates that Jones is trailing his opponent, Jason Miyares, by a significant margin, at 43.1% to 48.9% respectively.
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