House control could hinge on Virginia's fraught attorney general race
Democrats Jay Jones and Graham Platner are experiments in how much scandal is too much
I’m usually lamenting my sub-par status as a U.S. citizen with no representation in Congress because I happen live where it meets, in Washington, DC. But right now, I’m giving thanks that I don’t live in Maine or Virginia — because voters there are confronting moral and strategic dilemmas that have no correct or comfortable answers.
Maybe you believe in redemption and second chances. Maybe you want democracy to be preserved, or voting rights to be protected, or abortion rights to be restored. Maybe you wish we were still a welcoming “nation of immigrants.” Maybe you miss checks and balances, and voting for a flawed candidate will help get them back by helping Democrats regain some power.
MSNBC host Jen Psaki, a former Biden and Obama White House aide, says a lower bar for scandals could bring more people into her party – and it’s time for out-of-power Democrats to “try something different.” We’re having that experiment now.
The two “different” candidates of the moment are Graham Platner, the Maine Senate sensation trying to sustain his momentum until a June 2026 primary amid revelations that include a Nazi tattoo, homophobic slurs, and violent rhetoric; and Jay Jones, who might win a Virginia attorney general race Tuesday despite possibly the worst texting scandal imaginable, revealed by a National Journal story just a month ago.
It was 2022, and Jones was 33, when he sent violent texts to a former GOP colleague in the state House about shooting then-Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican, and his children. How could anyone write or say those things, or even think them? Much less the son of two judges, who had already begun a political career and a family of his own?
Sean Rankin, president of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, attributed the “reckless” texts to Jones “losing his temper.” Democratic officials called the statements disgusting, appalling, indefensible, and abhorrent. But they did not tell Jones to exit the race, and Rankin said that on balance he’d be better than the other guy — Republican incumbent Jason Miyares, who is allied with Donald Trump.
The moral arguments against Jones are obvious, yet the strategic arguments to vote for him are compelling. If elected, Jones would enlarge by one the army of 23 Democratic attorneys general fighting the Trump agenda. The day after Trump’s inauguration, they filed a challenge to his executive order trying to end birthright citizenship. This week, they sued to require Trump to tap emergency funds to continue SNAP benefits.
A Democratic attorney general could make a real difference in Virginia by defending against legal challenges to a state constitutional amendment Democratic legislators want to put before voters in 2026 — a “Right to Reproductive Freedom” amendment that supports the right of individuals to make their own health care decisions. A Jones victory could also have huge national consequences, because Virginia Democrats have an ambitious plan to add new Democratic House districts mid-decade to neutralize moves by Texas and other Republican states.
“If the GOP candidate wins, he could refuse to defend the amendment against legal challenges, meaning it might not get on the state ballot at all,” attorney Jay Kuo wrote in his Status Kuo newsletter – and “we could very well miss out on three House seat pick-ups and possibly the House majority itself.” His case for a strategic donation, despite “some controversy” over the Jones texts, generated $40,000 for the campaign in one day.
There are nearly eight months until the Maine Senate primary, and the Platner viral victory tour has morphed into an ongoing test of how a candidate handles a crisis. His political director, finance director, and campaign manager have resigned within the last two weeks. But he’s had his Nazi-ish tattoo changed to a Celtic knot with dog-like creature. And as he has since his campaign started, he continues to champion the LGBTQ+ community he once mocked and insulted.
“I believe in you. I believe you are a better man now than you once were in the past,” a tearful trans woman, too worried about her safety to protest or knock on doors, told Platner. “If I stand with you, will you fight with me? Will you stand up for me?” “I firmly believe that every American has the right to live the life they want to live, in their own body as they see fit,” he replied. “I just want to say that yes, I will absolutely stand next to you. And if we ever have to knock doors together, I’m happy to stand by your side.”
Can a candidate who loses trust win it back? And who stands a better chance of helping Democrats capture the Senate by defeating Republican Susan Collins in Maine — Platner or Gov. Janet Mills, soon to turn 78? Future federal judges and Supreme Court justices hang in the balance, along with much else.
Is it enough to apologize, over and over? “I’m ashamed, I’m embarrassed and I’m sorry,” Jones has said several times, including in his debate with Miyares and in a televised interview. Is it more important to bring back norms of shame, regret and embarrassment, to penalize outrageous conduct, at a time when the U.S. president flouts every norm and avoids every punishment? Or is it more important to help Democrats win the House and pump the brakes on Trump’s march toward ever more corruption and control?
If your head is hurting, so is mine. If I lived across the river, in a real state, I’d probably come down on the side of trying to stop the runaway Trump train, and trust other Virginia Democrats to keep an eye on Jones and do what’s needed if it comes to that. But this is a close call. These are two cases where the voters truly will decide, and I don’t envy them.
ICYMI:
Oct. 28, The NYC mayor’s race is an ethics test
(The Contrarian)
Oct. 21, The Disney Heiress, the Soybean Farmer, and Trump’s Dangerous Decisions (The Bulwark)
Oct. 17, The Fear Driving Trump and the GOP’s Attacks on Tomorrow’s ‘No Kings’ Rallies
(MSNBC)
Oct. 10, Trump’s Abuses of Power Show We Didn’t Learn Much From the Nixon Era
(The Bulwark)
Sept. 29, Democratic Voters Are Furious with Party Leaders. And that Disaffection
Has a Cost.
(MSNBC)
Great essay on our current times and challenges. Thank you, Jill.
I am struggling with this in Virginia. Despite having my absentee ballot on hand for several weeks, I still can't bring myself to fill it out. I'm almost ready to just flip a coin.