See below for video and highlights of Virginia AG Jay Jones, speaking to Michael Popok (founder of the “Legal AF” podcast) “from the Democratic Attorney’s General conference in San Francisco,” where Popok got “an exclusive briefing on how [Democratic state AGs] will individually and collectively protect the right to vote, and how they will work to tear down all that Trump has created, a timely briefing on the eve of Trump’s next meltdown at the State of the Union address.” Very well said by Jones on all of these answers…nice job!
- Jay Jones: “Well, look, in Virginia, we just flipped from red to blue, which we are extraordinarily proud of. And so…people in Virginia are ready to go. They’re fired up. We have a tremendous law on the books, the Virginia Voting Rights Act, which protects elections. We – like Colorado, Minnesota, and Oregon – have safe and secure elections. But now with the Democratic attorney general in place, we have a fully fleshed-out and staffed-up election protection unit so that we get to be out in the communities on the ground making sure that no one’s going to be intimidated, no one’s going to be turned away, and if you’re supposed to be voting, we’re going to be there to help you do that. And we’re going to use all the power of our office to make sure that is a reality. And that’s something that, you know, I’ve looked at these folks for the last few years. And so I’m excited for us to put that into practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
- Jay Jones: “Look, [Trump’s] come to Virginia a whole bunch and we’ve rejected him every single time, right? 2016, 2020, 2024. And then last November in 2025, we elected a historic slate of candidates. I’m the first Black Attorney General in the history of Virginia, right? 407 years. So, [Trump] probably doesn’t like the fact that I’m sitting in this seat, but here I am ready to defend [against] anything that he’s trying to do. We feel the things that are happening in Washington acutely because of our proximity. And you know, people in Virginia are smart enough to know the crap that they’re talking about and how it doesn’t align with who we are as a Commonwealth and where we want to go. But we want to tell the whole story, right? That’s the really powerful thing about Virginia is that we continue to step up, make our voices heard so that things aren’t erased and things don’t go by the wayside. And that’s why I think this election in ’25 was so special. And it sets the stage for success in 2026 across the country. And that’s something that I think we should be really proud of….Well look, I’m the new kid on the block, but one of the things that I got to do when I took over a month ago is to join the lawsuits that these folks have been working on for so long. And you look at how many times they’ve won, how much success this group has had. We’re extremely proud of it. But it shows that federal courts are agreeing with the arguments that we are putting up. And I don’t think that that’s going to change, because not only are we right on the law, we’re on the right side of history, we’re on the right side of these issues. And so, you know, again, whenever there’s federal overreach, whenever there’s things that are happening that don’t align with our values or the law, we’re going to step up and fill that void and be those defenders. And you know, I think that’s why attorneys general are really the most important positions in states right now because of what’s happening in Washington.”
- Jay Jones: “You know, these are extraordinary times and I think anyone who has a sense of duty and obligation to do right by other people wants to get involved. And I think that is something that you’re seeing all across this country. People want to run for office now because they want to push back on the craziness. They want to push back on the corruption that they’re seeing. People are sick and tired of what the the administration has been doing and their cronies have been doing. And I’m just happy to play a small part in this. We are a band of 24 and I hope that we expand our ranks in 2026. Because that’s really good for people across this country. And I think that we draw hope and inspiration from the work that this group does and other folks across the United States to do right by people and to really just get back to basics to make sure that we’re protecting people. We’re putting money back in their pockets. for keeping their communities safe and protecting against federal overreach. That’s what this country was founded on. And for me, I’m descended from slaves, and to know where they have come from and where what they had to go through. I don’t want to see us descend back into something like that. And fighting back through this job is the only way that I figured I could make a difference…. I mean, this is what people demand and this is what they want. And you look at the success that we had in Virginia, right? People joke, but you know, we say, ‘look, as goes Virginia, so goes the nation.’ We had a historic sweep of our statewide offices. We won 13 seats in our state legislature. I think that really portends well for what’s happening across the country in 2026. But we can’t rest on our laurels, right? Like Keith said, people have to step up and you got to participate. Because if you stand by and you don’t get in the game, that’s when bad things happen. That’s when 2016 happens. that’s when 2024 happens. And I think we are trying to hold on as best we can until the cavalry comes in in November in 2026.”
- Jay Jones: “Look, people got to get out and go vote, right? And voting is contagious. When you see someone else doing it, you’re like, ‘ok, maybe I want to go do this, too.’ You got to go take people. You got to go make sure everybody knows what’s at stake and why this stuff is so important. And then…I do think we’re going to have a lot of success here in 2026. I think we were able to sort of demonstrate what is possible in Virginia in 2025. Obviously, New Jersey, we had a lot of success. And you look at these special elections across the country, whether they be for state legislative seats or congressional seats. We are not only winning, we’re winning in large 30-point swings, in large ways, and even in seats that are deeply red, we are being competitive. But we can’t take our foot off the gas, right? That is really, I think, the biggest thing for people to remember is to go finish the deal.”
P.S. BTW, the caption in the video from Legal AF should say “Democratic AGs” – not “Democrat [sic] AGs,” which is (presumably unintentionally) the pejorative right-wing phrasing. But yeah, no Democrats should do that – ever.
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