Virginia AG candidate Jay Jones has complicated history on blackface scandal that rocked Democrats

Democratic Virginia attorney general hopeful Jay Jones gave an impassioned speech on race in 2019 which criticized then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam over wearing blackface — and then Jones embraced and campaigned with the disgraced Democratic governor during his unsuccessful bid to be attorney general in 2021 and again during his current bid in 2025.

The yearbook photo depicting two people, one dressed up in Ku Klux Klan robes and the other in blackface, appeared on Northam’s 1984 yearbook page at Eastern Virginia Medical School and came to light in early February 2019. Northam quickly admitted he was in the photo and apologized, then backtracked saying he’d actually appeared in blackface a different time.

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, of which Jones was a part, quickly called upon Northam to resign the governorship, and Jones soon gave a fiery speech on the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates where he criticized the use of blackface and argued that the saga was proof that there was a “White Virginia” and a “Black Virginia.”

Jones walks back previous condemnation

In early 2021, Jones would express “remorse” for having called on Northam to step down, and Northam would endorse Jones’s bid to become the Democratic nominee for attorney general a month later. Jones would lead efforts to recruit Jones to run again in 2025 and Jones would again tout Northam’s endorsement this year.

During his first bid to become Virginia attorney general, Jones promoted legislative efforts to divest from the police, pull cops from schools, end qualified immunity for law enforcement, and abolish cash bail. As he centered his unsuccessful 2021 Democratic primary run on police reform and race, he repeatedly invoked Black Lives Matter icons George Floyd and Jacob Blake, claiming that those men could have been him.

Jones pushed for police reforms which echoed the “Defund the Police” mantra of BLM, and repeatedly claimed that he personally felt the knee on his neck and the bullets in his back when watching videos of Floyd and Blake. Jones frequently spoke of the “systemic racism” and the “remnants” of Jim Crow in Virginia, and pushed to get a Virginia cop fired for donating to the legal defense fund for Kyle Rittenhouse.

Jones endorsed the June 2020 criminal justice reform plan of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, of which he was a member, with the legislative strategy document of the black caucus including calls to “divest” from law enforcement just days after Floyd’s death and amidst the BLM rallying cry to “Defund the Police.”

Jones tweeted that month that “I’m a proud member” of the black caucus and that “we stand for justice.”

He lost to then-Virginia attorney general Mark Herring in the June 2021 Democratic primary, and Herring — who had also admitted to using blackface in the past — went on to lose to the Republican nominee, then-Delegate Jason Miyares, in the November 2021 election. Jones, who successfully won the Democratic nod this time around, is now seeking to defeat Miyares, who is running for reelection as the state's highest law enforcement officer.

Jones did not respond to a request for comment sent to him through his campaign website.

Northam yearbook photo generated controversy — but he refused to resign

Northam originally apologized for the yearbook photo in early February 2019: “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now. This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today.” Northam also tweeted he was “deeply sorry” and explained: “I cannot change the decisions I made nor can I undo the harm my behavior caused then and today.”

“But I accept responsibility for my past actions and I am ready to do the hard work of regaining your trust,” Northam said at the time.

Yet the next day, Northam reversed course, saying: “I believe now and then that I am not either of the people in this photo. This was not me in that picture. That was not Ralph Northam.” Northam admitted he had worn blackface in the past, but at a different time, while dressing up as Michael Jackson in a dance contest in 1984. He said he had never worn a KKK hood.

After a months-long review, outside investigators said in May 2019 that they were unable to determine whether Northam himself was in the racist photo that appeared in his 1984 yearbook. The investigation, carried out by the McGuireWoods law firm at the behest of Eastern Virginia Medical School, stated, “With respect to the photograph on Governor Northam’s personal page, we could not conclusively determine the identity of either individual depicted in the Photograph.”

The investigators said that they interviewed Northam about the racist yearbook photo twice, in March 2019 and May 2019. Although Northam said it was staff members who had written the apology statements that he eventually walked back, he admitted to the investigators that “he read and approved the publication of these statements before they were issued.”

Northam said that he remembered submitting a number of pictures to the yearbook, including one of him in front of a car and another wearing a cowboy hat.

The report states that Northam “believes he is not in the photograph based on the size of the individuals in the photograph.” Northam claimed that “the person in blackface had much larger legs than he did in medical school” and that “the person in the KKK robes is much shorter than he is.”

“Governor Northam commented that he would remember standing next to someone dressed in KKK robes,” the report says.

During their interview with Northam, investigators said of Northam that “he ‘remembered like it was yesterday’ when he entered into a dance contest in San Antonio in the fall of 1984 and dressed up in blackface (with shoe polish) as Michael Jackson. Looking at the KKK robes, he would remember if he had done that, and said he never would have done that.”

The report also stated that numerous members of EVMS, including medical school president Richard Homan, were aware of the racist photo’s existence on Northam’s yearbook page prior to it being widely revealed in 2019.

The report says that “the timing of when it was raised to the attention of each President corresponded with periods when Governor Northam was running for different public offices.” And the report claims that “Homan’s reasoning was EVMS should not become involved, or be seen to become involved, in an election” and that “EVMS did not want there to be any suggestion that it had tried to influence Governor Northam in any respect by calling the Photograph to his attention.”

Jones used Northam’s blackface controversy to criticize governor in speech on race

Jones had been a Northam supporter prior to the blackface controversy in 2019. Jones tweeted in March 2017 that “I am proud to stand with Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam in his run for Governor!” After Northam won that year, Jones told his constituents in August 2018 to “join us on August 30th for our 2nd Annual Brews & BBQ Event with special guest Ralph Northam.”

But the blackface controversy briefly saw Jones criticize Northam.

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, of which Jones was a member, quickly called upon Northam to resign, and doubled down on that call later in February 2019 as it emerged that Herring had also admitted to wearing blackface in the past and as Fairfax faced sexual allegations.

“The Caucus recognizes that the admitted past use of blackface by Governor Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring, and the sexual assault allegations regarding Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax are all weighted equally in matter of importance to our Commonwealth and its leadership. Our responses to each, however, must be based on their individual facts and circumstances,” the black caucus said in February 2019. “We called for Governor Northam’s resignation sharply and swiftly because all of the facts were before us immediately. That is still our position.”

The black caucus declared: “Blackface is mockery, and therefore it is an insult. An insult used for entertainment, by those who aspire to political leadership is dangerous because it betrays a lack of compassion and a temperament of untrustworthiness where black lives are concerned. This was as true in 1984 as it was in 1904, 1924 or 1954.”

“Every member of the Caucus and many of our colleagues in the Capitol were pained by the revelations of Gov. Northam’s and Attorney General Herring’s past behavior. Those actions showed a tremendous lack of judgment and compassion for Virginia’s black residents and unacceptable ignorance of some of our Commonwealth’s most historically painful chapters,” the black caucus added. “While we appreciate the candor of Attorney General Herring’s disclosure, we await further action on his part to reassure the citizens of the Commonwealth of his fitness for leadership.”

Also later in February 2019, just a few weeks after the emergence of the KKK-blackface photo in Northam’s yearbook, Jones took to the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates and launched into a lengthy speech about race as he criticized the use of blackface.

“I have wrestled deeply over the subject matter of this speech today, but the last three weeks have prompted a significant amount of thought and reflection with family, friends, peers, and colleagues, and debate within myself,” Jones said in reference to the blackface controversy, adding, “Over the several weeks, deep wounds have been opened within Virginia, sparking a conversation and examination of a topic that often brings about significant discomfort when brought up directly: race in Virginia.”

Jones continued: “Make no mistake — I have spent these few weeks alternating between anger, grief, angst, despair, and physical and emotional pain. For long stretches, I have remained silent — unable to summon the words to accurately describe how I have been feeling when people have called, texted, or emailed to see whether I was alright.”

The Virginia Democrat added: “I know we are all struggling together to grapple with the events of the past few weeks and what they say about who our leaders are. Who we are as Virginians. And that picture, ultimately, is that of two Virginias. A White Virginia and a Black Virginia. Existing in parallel along the same arc of history, frequently intersecting, but never running together as one. Two different experiences, born from the same beginning four hundred years ago and still never merged into one shared story.”

Jones said that “the White Virginia that has had the privilege to never deal with being treated as second class in public or had to face institutional and cultural barriers that are higher than any wall that could ever be imagined” while “the Black Virginia that is acknowledged when convenient, that is viewed as monolithic with one black experience of poverty and lack of drive, who has suffered painful, visceral wounds that are often papered over, or paid attention for a moment and then forgotten.”

The Virginia Democrat argued that it was “White Virginia that perpetuated segregation, Massive Resistance, glorification of the Confederacy via monuments and flags in public spaces, and other mechanisms which consciously or unconsciously attempted to demonstrate its power over black Virginians” while it was “Black Virginia that is still oppressed by vestiges of Jim Crow in our legal system, that fears law enforcement, is mocked in yearbooks and photos year after year after year, and looks skeptically at White Virginia because of the generations past.”

The Virginia Democratic Party touted the speech, sharing the “full text of Delegate Jay Jones’ speech on race.”

“Emotions turn into pain and anger and anguish and angst, and I think every black Virginian and every black person in this country who is aware of what is going on has a different process to handle it,” Jones told 13 News Now that month of the blackface controversy.

Jones follows Northam's example, refuses to budge after text scandal

Jones’s own current bid to be the Virginia attorney general has been rocked by the revelations that he sent hateful texts wishing death upon his Republican political opponents and their children. He has similarly refused to drop out of the race.

Jones wrote in 2022 that if a number of his former Republican colleagues were to “die before me” then “I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves” to “send them out awash in something.”

The Virginia Democrat also texted that, in a hypothetical situation in which he had only “two bullets” and was faced with Republican Speaker of the Virginia House Todd Gilbert and two dictators (Adolph Hitler and Pol Pot), then “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head” and “he receives both bullets every time.”

Jones also confirmed in texts first released by National Review that he had said that he hoped that Jennifer Gilbert’s children would die in her arms, writing that “only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.” Jones added: “I mean do I think Todd and Jennifer are evil? And that they’re breeding little fascists? Yes.”

The Virginia Democrat apologized for the texts, saying in a statement that “I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry.” 

Jones and Miyares faced each other in a debate on Thursday.

Miyares said that Virginians had now "seen a window into who Jay Jones is and what he thinks of people who disagree with him" and quoted Abraham Lincoln, who said that "character is what you do in the dark when no one is watching.”

Jones said that "I am ashamed, I am embarrassed, and I am sorry. I am sorry to Speaker Gilbert. I am sorry to his family. And I am sorry to every single Virginian."

Northam and Jones' long history

In March of 2021, the Jones campaign proudly announced that Northam had endorsed Jones. “This morning, Governor Ralph Northam, in his first endorsement of the 2021 cycle, formally backed Delegate Jay Jones’ campaign for Attorney General,” the Jones campaign touted in March 2021.

The campaign press release included a lengthy quote from Northam: “We have made lasting progressive change over the last four years from Medicaid Expansion to abolishing the death penalty to criminal justice reform, but it is time for a new generation of leaders to take the reins. Jay Jones has stood with me every step of the way in our journey to make Virginia a more just and equitable place to live,” Northam said, not mentioning Jones joining in the criticism over the governor’s past wearing of blackface. 

Northam’s endorsement added that “as the son and grandson of Civil Rights leaders, and a descendant of enslaved Americans, Jay knows firsthand the kind of leadership it takes to bring about the change we seek across this Commonwealth, and I look forward to having him as our next Attorney General.”

Jones said in the press release that “I couldn’t be more humbled to receive Governor Northam’s endorsement in this race. He leads with conviction and has ushered in a new era of equity, optimism, and prosperity in this Commonwealth for all Virginians, no matter what you look like or where you come from. Simply put, Ralph Northam is the most consequential governor in the history of this Commonwealth.”

“I’ve been enormously proud to stand with him every step of the way over the years, and I am excited to carry on the legacy that he and the First Lady are building,” Jones claimed in the press release, glossing over his blackface criticisms aimed at Northam. “I am grateful for his support as we enter this new decade standing shoulder-to-shoulder to create the Virginia that we can all be proud of.”

Jones repeatedly praised Northam during the remainder of the unsuccessful attorney general primary bid.

“A great morning in Norfolk at the Southside STEM Academy at Campostella with Ralph Northam, Virginia Secretary of Education - Atif Qarni, and other state and local officials as we kicked off our return to in-person instruction today,” Jones said on Facebook in March 2021. “We're excited to get our children back into the classrooms safely and I know they are too!”

Jones also said on Facebook that month that “I'm grateful for Ralph Northam's support as we enter this new decade standing shoulder-to-shoulder to create the Virginia that we can all be proud of.”

“I’m glad to see @GovernorVA working to further reform policing in Virginia,” Jones tweeted in April 2021. “Our next steps must include reforms to qualified immunity to increase police accountability and build trust between law enforcement and our communities.”

Jones posted on Facebook in May 2021: “Check out our new ad! This campaign is about leading the way on justice and police reform, and I’m so proud to have Ralph Northam with me in the fight.” The ad featured Northam, who said, “My proudest day, and you were standing right there beside me, was when we ended the death penalty. … Virginians are excited that Jay Jones is gonna be the next attorney general.” Jones replied, “I’m so proud to have your support.”

His campaign put out a press release on “Reforming Our Criminal Justice System” that month.

The plan by Jones declared that “the vestiges of slavery and Jim Crow live on in our Commonwealth’s criminal code, in our judicial system, and in our policing” and that “they criminalize Black and Brown communities and make every Virginian less safe.”

“I’m proud of my work with Governor Northam to make Virginia the first state in the South to abolish the death penalty, a racially-based and ineffective descendant of the horrific practice of lynching,” Jones said in his plan.

Shortly before the primary that month, Jones posted on Facebook: “We have one week left in this primary. I couldn't be here without the support of so many Virginians, including Ralph Northam. Together, I know we can win this race, beat Republicans in November, and bring true reform to the Attorney General's office.”

Jones hammers AG opponent over his own blackface scandal — despite campaigning with Northam

Jones used a May 2021 primary debate with Herring to simultaneously tout his endorsement from Northam and to trash Herring over his own past use of blackface.

“I certainly believe that Ralph Northam has been arguably the most consequential governor that we have seen in the history of this commonwealth, and I am proud to have his support. He is someone who I work with and I stand shoulder-to-shoulder next to [...] I am so proud to have the support of Governor Northam,” Jones said during the debate. 

“He has endorsed our candidacy because he knows that we have the vision and values to lead in this new Virginia decade. … I certainly welcome his endorsement… and I look forward to campaigning with him over the next month as we close this campaign out.” Jones also said he was at Herring’s meeting with the black caucus “just days after you called on Governor Northam to resign” the governorship in February 2019, and he hammered Herring over it.

“What bothers me is your so-called commitment to justice,” Jones contended. “I sat in the room two years ago with the black caucus that you disclosed that you wore black face just days after you called on Governor Northam to resign. I was there when you took that paper out of your jacket, smoothed it on the table and read us a statement with no empathy, no compassion. No feeling for how we felt as black legislators, as black people. And frankly, that still pains me to this day.”

Herring would defeat Jones in the Democratic attorney general primary shortly thereafter, but Northam and Jones would soon team up again as Jones gave it another try in the next cycle after Miyares defeated Herring.

Northam backs Jones again in AG bid in 2025 on anti-Trump platform

Northam engaged in a lengthy effort to successfully get Jones the attorney general nomination the second time around.

It was reported by Virginia Scope in January 2024 that “a new group spearheaded by former Gov. Ralph Northam and a long list of Virginia Democrats is pushing former Del. Jay Jones to run for attorney general again next year.” The outlet said the “Virginians for Jay Jones” group was co-chaired by Northam and his wife.

“I’ve said it before, I will say it again today, Jay Jones is the right Democrat to serve as Virginia’s next Attorney General,” Northam said in a statement at the time. “He is smart, he is a listener, he cares about the future of the commonwealth, and he will be an Attorney General who is focused on justice for everyone in the commonwealth. I am honored to lead this committee in supporting and encouraging Jay Jones to be our next Attorney General.”

Jones himself tweeted in April 2024 that “Donald Trump is desperate to distract us from the fact that he is the *most* responsible for this wave of draconian abortion bans.” and that “I know @VAGovernor73’s [Northam’s] commitment to our Commonwealth and to women's reproductive freedom. I'm proud to call him my friend.”

Northam then cut a campaign ad for Jones in May 2025.

Jones tweeted: “Gov. Ralph Northam: ‘There's no one I trust more to stand up to Trump and Musk than you Jay.’ Our second ad of the campaign is now live.”

The Jones campaign issued a press release touting the ad: “Today, Jay Jones for Attorney General released its second ad of the campaign, entitled ‘What It Takes.’ The ad is backed by a six-figure buy and will run on broadcast and digital channels across the state. The ad features former Gov. Ralph Northam, an early supporter of Jones’ campaign for Attorney General. Northam highlights Jones’ experience fighting for Virginia in the courtroom and standing up to Donald Trump and Elon Musk.”

The ad depicted Northam and Jones sitting across from each other in a diner.

“You know, as governor, Trump and I went to battle,” Northam said.

Jones replied, “Yeah you did.”

“There is no one I trust more to stand up to Trump and Musk than you, Jay. You’ve been an assistant attorney general and protected abortion rights. You even sued Glenn Youngkin when he attacked voting rights,” Northam said.

Jones replied, “Look, I’ll never stop fighting for Virginia families to protect our rights and our workers from Trump’s agenda.”

“You’ve got my vote,” Northam said.

Jones narrowly defeated Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor in the Democratic primary the next month. The voters of Virginia will now decide between Miyares and Jones in November.