Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) stood by embattled Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones during a Sunday interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, stating he would not call for a Republican to drop out of a race under similar circumstances.
Tim Kaine is asked if a Republican sent the same texts that Jay Jones did, would he call on them to drop out of the race?
Kaine: “Absolutely not.”
The insane Democrat lies and spin to cover for this deranged lunatic continue. pic.twitter.com/p48mpSyWMU
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) October 19, 2025
Kaine’s remarks came amid ongoing fallout from unearthed text messages sent by Jones three years ago. In those texts, Jones reportedly fantasized about state House Speaker Todd Gilbert witnessing the death of his own child as a means of changing his political views. The texts also included other violent imagery directed at political opponents.
Despite condemning the messages, Kaine has refused to rescind his endorsement. When host Kristen Welker asked whether he would take the same stance if a Republican had sent similar messages, Kaine responded without hesitation:
“Absolutely not. It is — it’s directly equivalent to things that the Republican gubernatorial candidate has publicly said, not in private texts.”
Kaine pointed to a 2021 remark from Virginia Republican Winsome Sears, who had said, “Murder is murder, and your time will come,” during a public meeting on abortion. Kaine defended his consistency by noting that he did not call for Sears to drop out either.
“The voters began voting in Virginia on September 19th,” Kaine said. “These are fair items for voters to consider as they cast their vote, but no, we’re not calling for Republicans to drop out of races. We say apologize, you have to take account for your actions, and voters can look at the actions and your sincerity if you apologize.”
Jones did apologize during his recent debate with Republican incumbent Jason Miyares, but even allies said his performance lacked emotion and impact.
“Oooof. This Jay Jones sounds totally robotic,” commented Michael LaRosa, former spokesman for First Lady Jill Biden. “His apology lacked any EMOTION whatsoever and just pivoted to Trump. This is a disaster.”
Oooof. This Jay Jones sounds totally robotic and his apology and counter-responses totally FLAT. Then he pivoted to conventional, obvious, and typical Democrat attack lines against any generic Republican. His apology lacked any EMOTION whatsoever and just pivoted to Trump. This…
— Michael LaRosa (@MichaelLaRosaDC) October 16, 2025
Kaine’s repeated insistence that he has “known Jay for 25 years” also raised eyebrows, since Jones is just 36 years old — suggesting Kaine has known him since childhood.
Jay Jones is 36 years old… So is Kaine saying he’s known him since he was 11? Anyone wanna follow up on this? https://t.co/upxez7awjF
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) October 8, 2025
Critics argue that the texts go far beyond typical political rhetoric, with one message reportedly suggesting Speaker Gilbert “wouldn’t understand” the harm of his policies unless he was forced to watch a child of his die. Kaine continues to describe the remarks as disturbing, but says the matter should be left to the voters.
As for the quote Kaine referenced from Winsome Sears, her remark was made during a public statement on abortion, not as a threat. Sears had been arguing that abortion was the taking of a human life and said pro-choice advocates would have to reconcile that.
The contrast has sparked debate over what constitutes disqualifying rhetoric — and whether Kaine’s defense of Jones will cost Democrats politically in the final stretch before Virginia’s elections.
The post Tim Kaine Defends Jay Jones, Says He Wouldn’t Demand GOP Candidate Drop Out Over Similar Texts appeared first on Real News Now.
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