Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger was given the chance to withdraw her endorsement of Democrat Attorney General candidate Jay Jones over his fantasies about assassinating a Republican lawmaker — and on multiple occasions, she refused to do so.

The moment came Thursday night during the commonwealth’s only gubernatorial debate between Spanberger and GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. The discussion quickly broached the reported past text messages by Jones, in which he mused about assassinating then-Republican State House Speaker Todd Gilbert and wished death upon his children.

“Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones reportedly wrote in the 2022 messages. “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”

One of the debate moderators asked Spanberger if she was “aware of [Jones’] messages before they were released publicly” and if she will “continue to endorse Jay Jones as the next attorney general of Virginia.” While the former congresswoman said she condemns Jones’ messages, she refused to pull her support for his candidacy and then tried to pretend that political violence is a primarily “both sides” issue.

“It is important that candidates always denounce violence … no matter which side of the aisle. Violence, violent rhetoric, we should always be focused and forceful in our denouncement of it,” Spanberger said. “My opponent, unfortunately, only denounces violence when her side is the target. I hope into the future she will endeavor to denounce violent rhetoric and violence, no matter who the victim.”

The co-moderator followed up with Spanberger, asking again whether she knew of the text messages before their release and if she will still support Jones’ bid to become Virginia’s next attorney general. While the Democrat gubernatorial nominee said she learned of Jones’ messages when they were publicly reported, she once again refused to withdraw her support from Jones’ campaign.

“At this point, as we move forward, the voters now have this information — information that was withheld from them, presumably for political reasons. But the voters now have the information, and it is up to voters to make an individual choice based on this information,” Spanberger said.

“Mrs. Spanberger, I understand what you’re saying about the voters, but for you yourself, do you still continue to endorse Jay Jones? Fifteen seconds, yes or no?” the co-moderator asked.

Spanberger replied, “We are all running our individual races. I believe my opponent has said that about her lieutenant governor nominee, and it’s up to every person to make their own decision. I am running my race to serve Virginia, and that is what I intend to do.”

The non-answer prompted the co-moderator to once again ask Spanberger to clarify whether “as of now,” she’s still endorsing Jones for attorney general. And once again, Spanberger refused, repeating her answer about how the decision is up to each individual voter.

Shortly after, Winsome Earle-Sears confronted Spanberger about her refusal to say that Jay Jones “must leave the race” because he “advocated the murder … of a man, a former speaker, as well as his children.”

“Would it take him pulling the trigger, is that what would do it?” Winsome Earle-Sears asked.

During the interaction, Spanberger not only refused to answer, but also refused to make eye contact with her opponent.

The incident wasn’t the first in which Spanberger has refused to pull her endorsement of Jones’ candidacy. After news of the Democrat AG candidate’s messages broke, The Federalist reached out to the former congresswoman’s campaign to ask whether she will continue to back her fellow Democrat.

Much like with her debate responses, Spanberger didn’t answer.

Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood