EXCLUSIVE: Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares told Fox News Digital ahead of Thursday’s debate that his four-year record proves why voters should "rehire" him as the commonwealth’s top law enforcement officer.
Miyares also addressed the controversy surrounding Democratic challenger Jay Jones, who sent text messages fantasizing about the murder of former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his family.
"I said when I ran for this office that I was going to focus on Virginians’ safety and the Virginia of 2021 when I got elected was really hurting," Miyares said.
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"The Virginia of ‘21 had a murder rate at a 20-year high, 30-year high in the violent crime rate and the highest levels of addiction deaths ever reported… My laser focus was to be protecting Virginians and that's exactly what we've done."
Operation Bold Blue Line and Operation Ceasefire, focusing on backing police and cracking down on gun crimes, have been a success, he said.
Five percent of Virginia’s felons are responsible for half of the state’s violent crimes, and the 13 most violent cities have seen sharp drops in murder rates and other key crime statistics, according to recent statistics.
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Miyares also credited his term with ushering in a crackdown on the state’s fentanyl crisis by securing more than $1 billion in financial punishments collectively from pharmaceutical companies and other prescription-drug retailers like Janssen, J&J, CVS, AmerisourceBergen, and Kroger Supermarkets.
Miyares’ office has redirected that windfall to drug treatment causes, the attorney general said, calling it the largest collective influx of funding for treatment in state history.
"So I know this, more Virginians are safer today because of the policies we've implemented. More Virginians are alive today because of the smart policies we implemented to make our community safe."
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"And so now I get the great joy of asking Virginians to rehire me to continue to be the people protector to protect them and their family. And that's really in my opinion, what my campaign is about."
On the other side of the ticket, Jones’ scandal risks dragging down the rest of statewide Democrats – none of whom have directly asked him to drop out.
Miyares said that he cannot imagine an attorney general whose top job is to stop violence, and be someone who has "advocated for violence."
Miyares said both he and Jones know Gilbert and his family from when they all served in the General Assembly together.
"This wasn’t some hypothetical statement about somebody he's never met. This is a real mom. This is real dad. These are real children. And the idea that he said he hoped to see children as young as two years old die in their mother's arms is disqualifying," Miyares said.
"Because how in the world could Jay Jones ever comfort a mother that has actually lost her child to violence when he's thought this way? Because there's no cry like the cry of a mother that's lost her children. None. It haunts you."
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Miyares said Jones has also not ever been a prosecutor, but a "politician seeking a job promotion."
After departing the House of Delegates earlier this decade, Jones was an attorney for a law firm in Norfolk and also served in the Biden Justice Department.
"I do think this is a defining moment," Miyares said.
"The eyes of the nation are on Virginia right now. Are we going to pass this test of decency? I'm confident we are."
"But I do think that the basic tests of decency and civility are right now on the ballot in Virginia, and I'm confident Virginians are going to pass that test."
Fox News Digital similarly extended an interview invitation to the Jones campaign but has yet to hear back.