Jay Jones

Jerrauld Charles Corey Jones (born March 14, 1989) is an American politician and attorney currently serving as the 49th attorney general of Virginia since 2026. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates for the 89th district from 2018 to 2022. Born in Norfolk, Jones is the son of former Norfolk Circuit Court judge Jerrauld Jones. He graduated from the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia School of Law. Jones was elected to the House of Delegates in 2017 and ran for Attorney General in 2021, losing the Democratic primary to incumbent Mark Herring, despite receiving an endorsement from governor Ralph Northam. Jones ran again for Attorney General in 2025, and he defeated Shannon Taylor in the Democratic primary and incumbent Republican Jason Miyares in the general election. Jones campaigned on opposition to President Donald Trump and the policies of Miyares. Jones is the first African American to serve as Virginia's attorney general. During his campaign for attorney general, Jones received widespread condemnation after text messages from 2022 surfaced in which he "mused about violence" against the then-state house speaker Todd Gilbert and his children. Jones "fantasized" about Gilbert being shot and "wished" Gilbert's children would die, among other things.