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Virginia voters sound off on Democrats’ handling of ‘horrendous’ Jay Jones scandal, trans bathroom fight
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WINCHESTER, Va. – What was once the most contested city in the Confederacy is again divided — this time on the merits of the candidates in the upcoming Virginia elections.
While there are no longer recurring bloody battles along «The Valley Road» (now US-11) through Winchester, residents in the city in Virginia’s northwest corner — the region’s apple capital in the fall and also home of GOP gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears — offered competing views on the issues commanding the race.
Fox News Digital spoke with multiple Winchester, Virginia, area residents along the Loudoun Street arcade, a pedestrian-only portion of the historic city’s central avenue that comprises several shops, restaurants and a Civil War museum.
Of the murder-texts scandal enveloping Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones, Kevin Callinan from neighboring Stephens City, Virginia, said that «no normal person» would say what Jones said about then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah.
SPANBERGER QUIET ON TWIN CONTROVERSIES IN FINAL STRETCH OF VIRGINIA RACE
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, left, is running against Democrat Abigail Spanberger, right, in the state’s governor’s race in 2025. (Kristen Zeis/The Washington Post via Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
«It just was really horrendous,» he said of Jones’ conversation referencing murdering Gilbert and seeing harm come to what the Democrat called the Republican’s «little fascist» children.
«He should have just had the moral of dignity to just say, ‘I’m gonna resign. I said that, it was horrible to even say it. Even if it was a joke, it is horrible, and I should have just walked away,’» Callinan said.
Nancy from Winchester, Virginia, said Jones «crossed the line» and that Earle-Sears is the best candidate to lead Virginia in light of Spanberger’s response to the controversy.
J.C. Moore from Berryville, Virginia, — a rural population center and gateway to Virginia’s horse country in neighboring Clarke County — told Fox News Digital he wasn’t sure if Jones should be pushed out.
Moore pointed to previous instances of political rhetoric referencing violence or murder — citing former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s «bullseye» controversy focused on Hillary Clinton.
«It’s distasteful,» he said of the overarching rhetoric. Jones’ case «should be addressed, it should be criticized. But I’m not sure about total banishment.»
WINSOME EARLE-SEARS RELEASES ‘TWO BULLETS’ AD SCATHING OPPONENT FOR FAILING TO DEMAND JAY JONES’ OUSTER
Danielle from Winchester, Virginia, said Spanberger’s campaign would be «OK — if it wasn’t for Jay Jones.»
«Her entire platform is going to fall because of Jones,» she said, adding that Spanberger is otherwise very smart and an «amazing» candidate, but that Jones’ texts overshadow the Democratic ticket.
Nancy added that Spanberger hasn’t sufficiently addressed the Jones scandal.
«She said she would leave it up to the voters — which I think if she’s going to be our governor, she definitely needs to take a stand.»
While not Virginia voters, a couple visiting the area from Florida said they’ve been following the race closely from 1,000 miles away.
«That attorney general should drop out,» the gentleman called out to Fox News Digital as he passed, adding that if they lived in Virginia they would be voting for Earle-Sears.
WINSOME EARLE-SEARS RELEASES AD LINKING ABIGAIL SPANBERGER TO JAY JONES AFTER VIOLENT TEXTS RESURFACE
Asked about the transgender bathroom controversy in nearby Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William, Virginia, counties — and how Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger has handled criticism of her responses to it — Callinan said she has been «ducking the issue.»
«She keeps saying, ‘I’m a mother of three daughters,’ but … the basic issue of ‘should I have a boy in the bathroom with my three daughters?’ I think she’d say ‘no’ — but politically she just won’t even be honest about it,» he said.
«She would not want a grown man in a fitness center with her daughters, but she knows she doesn’t want to say it,» he said, appearing to refer to the case of chronically charged sex offender Richard Cox in Arlington, Virginia.
In terms of which candidate can best handle the crime crisis that is particularly evident in urban areas, Callinan said President Donald Trump has done a «great job» in Washington, D.C., proper and that neighboring areas of Virginia would be best served by Earle-Sears following the president’s lead.
«The Democrats are never going to toughen up because they know it will alienate a significant part of their base,» he said.
Chris Ladner from Vienna, Virginia, in heavily Democratic Fairfax County, said Spanberger has been «unserious» about the transgender bathrooms controversy and «dodging what she really thinks.»
EARLE-SEARS COMES OUT SWINGING IN HEATED DEBATE AS SPANBERGER DODGES JAY JONES QUESTIONS
Ladner said he supports how Earle-Sears has responded to the issue.
Living close to Washington, Ladner added that Earle-Sears and incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares would do and have done a good job respectively on the crime issue.
«Jay Jones will not be good at that,» Ladner said.
Nancy separately agreed.
«Absolutely it would be Sears (who would be better). Number one, she was military, number two she has a clear idea of what’s right and wrong.»
«And plus, I like her religious views,» she said of the devout Christian.
SPANBERGER DEFENDS ABORTION AD CRITICIZING SEARS AFTER BERNIE WARNS AGAINST HIGHLIGHTING ISSUE
Moore, however, disagreed in his remarks to Fox News Digital.
He said Spanberger has been «deeper into» law enforcement — as she served as a federal agent prior to an interceding tenure in Congress — and that her economic-equality positions will help the issue.
«Most of (the crime problem) you can trace back to economic inequity and poverty,» he said.
Danielle added that neither candidate is ideal to fight the crime crisis, but that if Spanberger is able to force Jones off the ticket, she would win that proverbial tie-breaker.
Later this week, the attention shifts to the other end of the Zachary Taylor Highway from Winchester, as Miyares and Jones square off at the University of Richmond in their one and only debate.
The battle is likely to be headlined by the murder-texts controversy. The debate also notably takes place just over the city line from Henrico County, Virginia, where Spanberger hails from.
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In the lieutenant governor sweeps, Republican nominee John Reid repeatedly has called for debates against Democratic nominee state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi of Chesterfield, but any potential bout remains at an impasse.
Meanwhile, Earle-Sears has seen a campaign cash infusion since the Jones news broke, and on Monday released a new ad called «trigger» which uses snippets of her Norfolk debate to slam Spanberger’s response to the Jones controversy.
virginia governor race,virginia,abigail spanberger,winsome sears,2025 2026 elections coverage,crime world
INTERNACIONAL
Líderes de la Unión Europea se reúnen en Bélgica para debatir cómo reforzar su economía ante la presión de EEUU, Rusia y China
Los líderes de la Unión Europea se reunirán este jueves en el castillo de Alden Biesen, en Bélgica, con el objetivo de debatir cómo reforzar el peso económico del bloque frente a la competencia de China y Estados Unidos y superar las divisiones internas que frenan su capacidad de acción.
La cita convocará a los dirigentes de los 27 países miembros en un contexto marcado por la turbulencia geopolítica, la intensificación de la competencia global y una economía que avanza por detrás de otras grandes potencias. El encuentro tomará como referencia un informe clave publicado hace 18 meses que plantea reformas para transformar el funcionamiento económico del bloque.
La presidenta de la Comisión Europea, Ursula von der Leyen, subrayó la urgencia del momento en declaraciones ante líderes industriales el miércoles. “La urgencia no podría ser mayor. Estamos luchando por un lugar en la nueva economía global”, afirmó.
El presidente francés, Emmanuel Macron, insistió en la necesidad de una respuesta rápida y de gran alcance por parte del bloque. Advirtió que la UE debe actuar a “una nueva escala y a una nueva velocidad” para frenar la “fragmentación, el debilitamiento y probablemente la humillación de Europa”. El mandatario también renovó su llamado a impulsar deuda conjunta europea, una propuesta que divide a varias capitales del bloque, y la definió como la “única forma” de competir con China y Estados Unidos.
Durante las conversaciones previstas, Von der Leyen promoverá una serie de iniciativas, entre ellas un impulso a la estrategia de “comprar europeo”, la simplificación de normas comunitarias y la firma de nuevos acuerdos comerciales para diversificar los socios del bloque. La propuesta de dar prioridad a empresas europeas en compras públicas se perfila como uno de los puntos de mayor tensión entre los países miembros.
Estados como Suecia y Países Bajos, defensores del libre comercio, expresan cautela ante la posibilidad de adoptar medidas que se acerquen al proteccionismo. El canciller alemán, Friedrich Merz, sostuvo que ese tipo de política debería aplicarse solo como “último recurso”.
La Comisión Europea también promueve la creación de un nuevo sistema legal para empresas que opere al margen de los marcos nacionales, el llamado “régimen 28”, con el objetivo de facilitar la actividad corporativa en los 27 países. La iniciativa apunta a reducir trabas administrativas y permitir que las compañías operen con mayor facilidad a escala continental.
Otro de los ejes centrales del debate será la profundización del mercado único. Von der Leyen y varios dirigentes consideran que una integración más estrecha constituye la principal respuesta frente a la competencia global, tal como plantea el informe elaborado por el ex presidente del Banco Central Europeo, Mario Draghi.
Tras la intervención prevista de Draghi, los líderes también escucharán al ex primer ministro italiano Enrico Letta, quien defendió una mayor integración económica, incluida una unión de ahorro e inversión que facilite el acceso al capital para las empresas. A diferencia de sus rivales estadounidenses, muchas compañías europeas enfrentan dificultades para financiar su expansión pese a que el continente alberga algunas de las mayores economías del mundo, como Alemania y Francia.
Diplomáticos indicaron que el encuentro estará dominado por dos cuestiones principales: los precios de la energía y la estrategia de preferencia por productos europeos. Von der Leyen respaldó la idea de que los compradores públicos prioricen a empresas del bloque y anunció que el Ejecutivo comunitario presentará una ley sobre preferencia europea este mes.
“Introduciremos requisitos específicos de contenido de la UE para sectores estratégicos”, expresó. Luego añadió: “Dirijamos más dinero europeo hacia nuestras industrias europeas”.
(Con información de AFP)
International,Relations,Africa,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy
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The House of Representatives passed a massive election integrity overhaul bill on Wednesday despite opposition from the vast majority of Democrats.
The House passed Rep. Chip Roy’s SAVE America Act, legislation that’s aimed at keeping non-citizens from voting in U.S. federal elections. All but one House Democrat — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas — voted against the bill. It passed 218 to 213.
It is an updated version of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, also led by Roy, R-Texas, which passed the House in April 2025 but was never taken up in the Senate.
Whereas the SAVE Act would create a new federal proof of citizenship mandate in the voter registration process and impose requirements for states to keep their rolls clear of ineligible voters, the updated bill would also require photo ID to vote in any federal elections.
MURKOWSKI BREAKS WITH GOP ON VOTER ID, SAYS PUSH ‘IS NOT HOW WE BUILD TRUST’
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries holds a press conference on the fourteenth day of the U.S. government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Oct. 14, 2025. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
It would also require information-sharing between state election officials and federal authorities in verifying citizenship on current voter rolls and enable the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pursue immigration cases if non-citizens were found to be listed as eligible to vote.
Democrats have attacked the bill as tantamount to voter suppression, while Republicans argue that it’s necessary after the influx of millions of illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. during the four years of the Biden administration.
«If we want to rebuild confidence again in American elections, we need to pass the SAVE Act,» Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. «What better way to eliminate that distrust than to make sure that whoever votes in an American citizen who is truly eligible to vote?»
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., accused Republicans of trying to make it harder for women to vote. She argued that the legislation would make it more difficult for married women to cast ballots if their surname is different from their maiden name on their birth certificate.
«Republicans aren’t worried about non-citizens voting. They’re afraid of actual American citizens voting. Why? Because they’re losing among women,» Clark said during debate on the House floor. «This is a minefield of red tape that you have put in front of women and American citizens and their right to vote.»
REPUBLICANS, TRUMP RUN INTO SENATE ROADBLOCK ON VOTER ID BILL
But House GOP Policy Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., emphasized that it was about keeping illegal immigrants from voting in U.S. elections.
A voter fraud sign is seen at Lupica Towers in Cleveland, Ohio. (J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)
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«This really is about feeding the narrative that Democrats want illegally from all over the world to come here to support them,» Hern said of Democrats’ opposition.
Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital, «The American people did not give Republicans a mandate to make excuses. They gave us one to deliver wins, and the SAVE America Act is exactly that. Every single Democrat who voted no today proved they would rather let illegal aliens tip the scales in our national elections than protect your vote.»
If implemented, the bill could see new requirements imposed on voters in this year’s November midterm elections.
But it would have to pass the Senate, where current rules dictate that at least several Democrats are needed to meet the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster.
elections,house of representatives politics,republicans
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