Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor are competing for the Democratic nomination for attorney general. The winner of the June 17 primary election will face the Republican incumbent Jason Miyares. Jones, the former delegate for Virginia’s 89th House District, and Taylor, the Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney, share a common goal: they want to use the Attorney General position to fight against President Donald Trump’s administration.
To save you time in evaluating the Democrat candidates, we’ve gathered information from a variety of reputable sources.
Jay Jones, age 36
Jones is a former State Delegate, HD-89 (2018-2021). He retired in 2021 to focus on the birth of his first child. He is currently an attorney for Hogan Lovells and holds a B.A. from William and Mary and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia. He was formerly an assistant attorney general in Washington, D.C.
In his announcement, he accused Miyares (R) of using his office to “advance his own radical, personal, partisan-political agenda” and “attack Virginians’ freedoms, pander to the fringes of his own party and side with corporate price gougers and polluters.” Jones says he will fight for Virginia families and stand up to Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s dangerous agenda. This is the second time Jones is running for attorney general; he lost to Herring in the 2021 Democratic primary.
Website: jayjones.com
Funds Raised: $1,809,276
Shannon Taylor, age 51
Taylor has served four terms as Henrico County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney (2011-Present). She holds a Master’s in international relations from University of Virginia and a Juris doctor from Richmond Law School.
On her website, Taylor says her number one priority as Commonwealth’s Attorney was keeping communities and families safe from crime and she has prioritized compassionate, effective policies to move Henrico forward, as the best way to keep the community safe while stressing rehabilitation. She has sought to diversify the Commonwealth’s Attorney office with more female and minority prosecutors. Taylor claims “I will stand up for the U.S. Constitution and for the rule of law and will not allow Trump and Musk to put Virginia families in harm’s way.”
Website: shannontaylorva.com
Funds raised: $1,011,708
Want to learn more about the candidates?
Check out each candidate’s website and social media accounts to learn more about who they are and what they prioritize. You can also see more comparisons in the articles referenced below.
N4C does not endorse candidates before the primary election – we believe in providing you with the information to make an informed choice.
Take Action
- Learn about the candidates, mark your calendar and VOTE
- The Primary Election is June 17th.
- Early/Absentee voting runs Friday May 2nd – June 14th. For locations and hours see the Henrico County Government website.
Learn More
- This article, Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor compete in Virginia’s Attorney General Democratic primary , published by the Virginia Pilot details each candidate’s answers to questions about consumer protections enforcement and expansion of prosecutorial authority.
- These articles, Who’s running for attorney general of Virginia in 2025? published by VPM and Two Democrats vying for nomination in Virginia’s Attorney General race published by 29 News, provide profiles on each candidate.
- Virginia Public Access Project publishes candidate campaign finance information.
- This article from the Washington Post, Virginia’s 2025 primary election: A guide on voting and key races to watch gives an overview of all the key Virginia primary races.
