Virginia Democrats’ 2025 gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger released a statement on Friday afternoon condemning the disturbing text messages her fellow candidate, Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones, sent to a Republican state legislator in 2022, in which he joked about wanting to shoot then–Republican Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Todd Gilbert.

Following National Review’s report, former Congresswoman Spanberger said she expressed her “disgust” with the text messages as well as comments he made to a Republican delegate during a phone call, during which he suggested that he wished Gilbert’s wife could watch her own child die in her arms so that the then-speaker might reconsider his political views.

Spanberger’s statement stopped short of calling on Jones to leave the race.

“After learning of these comments earlier today, I spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted,” Spanberger said. “I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words. What I have also made clear is that as a candidate — and the next Governor of our Commonwealth, I will always condemn violent language in our politics.”