Jay Jones won the Democratic primary and will appear on the November ballot against Republican incumbent Jason Miyares. The Associated Press made the final call shortly before 10 p.m.
“Virginia needs leaders who will put Virginia first,” Jones said in a written statement Tuesday night. “Who will stand up to the powerful corporate special interests. Who will stand up for the rule of law. Who will keep us safe. And that’s exactly what I will do as your Attorney General.”
Jones, a former state delegate from Norfolk and ex‑assistant attorney general of D.C., said his legislative and consumer‑protection experience made him best suited to challenge Republican incumbent Jason Miyares this November.
Taylor, Henrico’s commonwealth’s attorney since 2012, emphasized her record as a prosecutor.
Both Democrats criticized Miyares for not standing up to President Trump, citing his refusal to join lawsuits defending federal workers and challenging executive policies.
In addition Jones v. Taylor, this race morphed into a battle of Dominion Energy and Clean Virginia — and Clean Virginia won.
The race took a turn in the final week over campaign finances. Dominion Energy contributed $800,000 directly to Taylor’s campaign — including $150,000 last Friday.
Clean Virginia, backing Jones, decried the contributions, warning that “no one taking $800,000 from Dominion Energy can credibly claim to represent the public interest.”
Clean Virginia attacked Taylor for the money she had already received by running a statewide TV ad.
“Our power company was caught overcharging Virginians with some of the highest electric bills in the country,” the ad stated. “And now, they’re Shannon Taylor’s largest donor.”
Clean Virginia gave Jones’ campaign $400,000 this cycle.
Additionally, 14 current and former elected officials, along with a U.S. representative, urged Taylor to recuse herself from any Dominion‑related legal matters if elected — noting the “unprecedented campaign contributions… totaling approximately $650,000” already on record.
Jones spoke indirectly about Dominion Tuesday night, who also gave money to his now Republican opponent, Miyares.
“The most powerful corporations and special interests believe that Virginia’s government should be beholden to them,” Jones said. “They will spend more trying to beat us in November by funding Donald Trump’s pro-bono attorney, Jason Miyares. And we are ready for that fight because it’s not their government, it’s yours. As your next Attorney General, I will return the power back to you. To the people of Virginia.”
In a statement Tuesday night, Miyares said Jones will make “Virginia families less safe and our streets more violent” if he is elected.
With a few votes left to count, Jones was up by two percentage points over Taylor as Tuesday night turned into Wednesday morning.
“I am ready for this fight and to win this November,” Jones said.