Jay Jones (politician)
Jerrauld C. C. "Jay" Jones (born March 14, 1989) is an American politician and attorney serving as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 89th district.[1] In July 2020, Jones announced his candidacy for attorney general of Virginia in the 2021 election.[2] Jones lost the Democratic primary to incumbent Mark Herring,[3] despite receiving an endorsement from Governor Ralph Northam.[4] In December 2021, Jones announced his resignation to focus on family.[5]
Jay Jones | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 89th district | |
| In office January 10, 2018 – December 31, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Daun Hester |
| Succeeded by | Jackie Glass |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 14, 1989 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Relatives | Jerrauld Jones (father) |
| Education | College of William and Mary (BA) University of Virginia (JD) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Early life and education edit
Jay Jones was born in Norfolk to Jerrauld Jones and Lyn M. Simmons. He is the grandson of Hilary H. Jones, Jr. (an attorney and civil rights pioneer in Norfolk)[6] and Corinne D. Jones (a Norfolk school teacher) and Charles and Margaret Simmons, who were tenured professors at Norfolk State University and Hampton University, respectively.
He attended Norfolk Collegiate School and graduated in 2006. Jones then went on to attend the College of William & Mary as a William & Mary Scholar. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and history.[6] During college, Jones served as a legislative intern for Paula Miller in 2009.
Career edit
After college, Jones spent two years in New York as an associate with Goldman Sachs, where he focused on risk management and credit rating advisory, focusing on natural resources and technology companies. He then returned to Virginia and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2015. While in law school, Jones interned in the office of Algie Howell.
Jones serves on several boards in Hampton Roads, and is a lifelong member of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.[7] He is a practicing trial attorney based in Norfolk, Virginia.[citation needed]
Virginia House of Delegates edit
On February 13, 2017, Jones announced his candidacy for the Virginia House of Delegates,[6] running for the same seat his father held from 1988 to 2002. On June 13, 2017, Jones won a contested Democratic primary to become the Democratic nominee for Virginia's 89th district.[8] On November 7, 2017, he defeated Libertarian candidate, Terry Hurst, to become the Delegate-elect for the 89th district[9] and sworn in on January 10, 2018. He succeeded Daun Hester.[10][11][12] Jones ran for reelection unopposed in the 2019 election cycle.[13] Jones was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee at the beginning of his second term. In September 2019, Jones endorsed Cory Booker in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[14] In December 2021, Jones resigned from the Virginia House of Delegates following the announcement that he and his wife are expecting their first child in summer 2022. Jones' replacement fellow Democrat Jackie Glass was elected to succeed him in a special election held on January 11, 2022.[5][15]
2021 Virginia attorney general election edit
Jones was a candidate in the Democratic primary for the 2021 Virginia Attorney General election.[2] On June 8, 2021, Jones lost the Democratic primary to incumbent Mark Herring.[3]
Electoral history edit
| Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia House of Delegates, 89th district | |||||
| June 13, 2017[16] | Primary | Jerrauld "Jay" Jones | Democratic | 5,242 | 66.19 |
| Joe W. Dillard | Democratic | 2,678 | 33.81 | ||
| Daun Sessoms Hester did not seek re-election | |||||
| November 7, 2017[17] | General | Jerrauld "Jay" Jones | Democratic | 16,541 | 84.49 |
| Terry Hurst | Libertarian | 2,944 | 15.04 | ||
| Write Ins | 97 | 0.5 | |||
| November 5, 2019[18] | General | Jerrauld "Jay" Jones | Democratic | 14,397 | 96.19 |
| Write Ins | 571 | 3.81 | |||
| November 2, 2021[19] | General | Jerrauld "Jay" Jones | Democratic | 17,450 | 79.08 |
| Hahns Copeland | Republican | 4,340 | 19.09 | ||
| Write Ins | 63 | 0.3 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Herring (incumbent) | 274,736 | 56.63 | |
| Democratic | Jay Jones | 210,365 | 43.37 | |
| Total votes | 485,101 | 100.00 | ||
References edit
- ^ "Bischoff – Martingayle » Jerrauld C.C. "Jay" Jones". bischoffmartingayle.com. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- ^ a b Schneider, Gregory. "Norfolk Del. Jay Jones announces bid for Democratic nomination for Virginia attorney general". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
- ^ a b "DDHQ Election Results". results.decisiondeskhq.com. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ Otey, Jazmine (2021-03-04). "Gov. Ralph Northam endorses Jay Jones over incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring". WSLS. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Ali. "Special election to fill Jay Jones' 89th District seat set for Jan. 11". pilotonline.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ a b c "Jerrauld 'Jay' Jones To Run For 89th Delegate". New Journal and Guide. February 16, 2017.
- ^ "About Jay Jay Jones for Delegate". jayjones.vote. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- ^ "Jay Jones wins big in 89th House District Democratic primary". The Virginian-Pilot =. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- ^ "Jones wins Virginia House of Delegates 89th District". The Virginian-Pilot. November 7, 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- ^ 2017 election results for 89th district at Virginia Public Access Project site
- ^ Virginia Elections Database: district 89 at Virginia Department of Elections site
- ^ 89th district: Elections. Virginia Public Access Project site
- ^ "Virginia Election Results". The New York Times. 2019-11-08. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ Feld, Lowell (11 September 2019). "Virginia Del. Jay Jones (D-HD89) Endorses Cory Booker for President; Booker Plans Trip to Virginia "In the Coming Weeks."". Blue Virginia. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ "Glass projected to win special election for 89th House of Delegates seat, Dolmo concedes". 11 January 2022.
- ^ "2017 June Democratic Primary". Results.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
- ^ "2017 November General". Results.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ^ "Virginia Election Results: November 5, 2019". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "2021 November General". results.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
- ^ "2021 June Democratic Primary". from the original on 2021-06-09. Retrieved 2021-06-09.