Democratic Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones has taken a wild ride from fierce critic to cozy ally in the saga of Governor Ralph Northam’s blackface scandal, as Just The News reports.
Jones, once a vocal opponent of Northam after a troubling yearbook photo surfaced in early 2019, has since flipped his position, expressing regret for his initial stance and campaigning alongside the governor in both an unsuccessful 2021 bid and his current 2025 run to unseat incumbent Jason Miyares.
Let’s rewind to early 2019, when a photo from Northam’s 1984 medical school yearbook page emerged, showing two individuals—one in Ku Klux Klan robes, the other in blackface. Northam first admitted to being in the image and issued an apology, only to later backpedal, claiming he’d donned blackface on a separate occasion. It was a messy confession that left many Virginians, including Jones, reeling.
Jones, a member of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus at the time, didn’t hold back, delivering a scathing speech on the House floor in 2019. He condemned blackface as a symbol of a divided “White Virginia” and “Black Virginia,” while the caucus called for Northam’s resignation. It was a bold stand—until it wasn’t.
Fast forward to early 2021, and Jones had a change of heart, publicly expressing “remorse” for demanding Northam step down. Just a month later, Northam returned the favor, endorsing Jones in his bid to become the Democratic nominee for attorney general. Talk about a political plot twist!
During that 2021 campaign, Jones didn’t just lean on Northam’s support—he doubled down on progressive criminal justice reforms. He pushed to divest from police, remove officers from schools, end qualified immunity for law enforcement, and abolish cash bail. It’s a platform that raised plenty of eyebrows among those wary of defunding law enforcement.
Jones’ 2021 primary run centered heavily on race and policing, with frequent nods to Black Lives Matter figures like George Floyd and Jacob Blake. He claimed their stories hit close to home, saying he felt the “knee on his neck” and “bullets in his back” watching those tragic videos. It’s a vivid sentiment, but one that critics argue risks over-dramatizing policy debates.
Beyond rhetoric, Jones endorsed the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus’ June 2020 criminal justice reform plan, which echoed the controversial “Defund the Police” rallying cry just days after Floyd’s death. He even pushed to have a Virginia officer fired for donating to Kyle Rittenhouse’s legal defense fund. For many conservatives, these moves signal a troubling disregard for law enforcement’s role in maintaining order.
Speaking of the caucus, Jones once tweeted, “I’m a proud member [of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus] and we stand for justice.” (Jay Jones, June 2020) It’s a noble claim, but skeptics might ask if “justice” here means prioritizing ideology over practical safety concerns.
Let’s not forget Northam’s own words amid the 2019 firestorm: “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.” (Ralph Northam, early February 2019) It’s a heartfelt apology, but for many on the right, it’s hard to square with the initial waffling—and harder still to see Jones now embracing the man he once rebuked.
Jones’ 2021 bid ultimately fell short, losing to then-Attorney General Mark Herring in the Democratic primary. Herring, who also admitted to past blackface use, went on to lose the general election to Republican Jason Miyares. It was a double whammy for Democrats, and perhaps a sign that Virginia voters weren’t sold on this brand of leadership.
Undeterred, Jones is back for another shot in 2025, having secured the Democratic nomination to challenge Miyares once again. He’s touting Northam’s endorsement as a key asset, a far cry from his fiery 2019 rhetoric. One has to wonder if this alliance is more about political expediency than principle.
Throughout both campaigns, Jones has hammered on themes of “systemic racism” and the lingering effects of Jim Crow in Virginia. While these are serious topics, some might argue his focus risks painting the state as irredeemably flawed rather than a place of progress. It’s a narrative that often leaves little room for constructive dialogue.
Jones’ silence on recent inquiries—failing to respond to a request for comment through his campaign website—doesn’t help clarify his evolving stance. Is this a calculated strategy to avoid revisiting past flip-flops, or simply a busy campaign schedule? Voters deserve answers, especially on such a charged issue.
For now, Jones’ journey from critic to collaborator with Northam remains a curious chapter in Virginia politics. It’s a reminder that alliances can shift as quickly as the winds of public opinion, especially when electoral stakes are high. As the 2025 race heats up, expect this complicated history to fuel plenty of debate over leadership, consistency, and the future of the Commonwealth.
