What to expect from the Virginia attorney general debate

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- With Election Day now less than three weeks away, Democrat Jay Jones and Republican Jason Miyares are set to go head-to-head for the only time in this year’s race for attorney general. 

On Thursday, Oct. 16 Jones and Miyares will face off in their only debate on the campus of the University of Richmond, and all eyes are on how both candidates will address texts Jones sent in 2022 claiming former Republican House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert should be shot. 

“The real question for Miyares is not necessarily whether to attack, obviously, I think he’s going to do that. It’s a question of how much is too much,” Randolph-Macon Political Science Professor Rich Meagher told 8News. 

Meagher adding that while Jones’ text controversy will be a major topic of discussion, Miyares still has to talk about the issues affecting Virginia voters. 

“He likes his job. He likes the stuff he does. He’s proud of what he does, and he might be interested in actually kind of laying out and making the case, not just why you should vote against Jones, but vote for him,” Meagher said.

As for Jones, Meagher said he should continue to atone for his previous comments. 

“I really think the best he can do is continue to state his apologies for what he wrote and to just suggest that it’s time to move on,” Meagher said.

Meagher added that Jones should try to turn the debate into a discussion on policy. 

“If he’s able to get the sort of narrative, the public thinking a little bit more about what the job of attorney general is and why Miyares might be bad for it, that would be a win for Jones,” Meagher told 8News. 

The debate will begin at 6 p.m. and will be streaming on the University of Richmond’s website.