Latest news with #Miyares
The Hill
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Jay Jones launches first general election ad buy in Virginia AG race
Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general, rolled out his first television ad of the general election cycle on Thursday. The ad, which was first seen by The Hill, is a part of a six-figure ad buy going up across Virginia. The thirty-second spot features Norfolk, Va. Sheriff Joe Baron (D), Prince William County Prosecutor Amy Ashworth (D) and Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan (D) vouching for Jones's record on public safety and law and order from his time as assistant attorney general and a former Virginia state delegate. Jones is seeking to oust incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), an ally of President Trump, in the general election. Most recent polls show Jones leading Miyares. A poll released last month by the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, showed Jones leading Miyares 47 percent to 38 percent. In Virginia, the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general are elected separately. The last time Virginians voted to split a ticket was in 2005, when now-Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) was elected governor and Republican Bill Bolling won the lieutenant governor's race. However, Miyares stands to be a formidable opponent, with many Virginia Republicans arguing that the attorney general is the strongest part of the Republican ticket. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Miyares has raised over $4,000 more than Jones in fundraising. On Wednesday, Republican State Leadership Committee PAC and the Republican Attorneys General Association teamed up with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R) Secure Your Vote initiative to launch a seven-figure investment to turn out voters in the attorneys general race and House of Delegates voters.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Youngkin, GOP groups launch 7-figure investment in Virginia
The Republican State Leadership Committee PAC and the Republican Attorneys General Association teamed up with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R) Secure Your Vote initiative to launch a seven-figure investment to turn out voters on Wednesday ahead of the state's off-year elections in November. The investment will include direct mail, digital outreach, and grassroots efforts to support incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) and Republicans running in House of Delegates races. 'We simply can't afford to fall behind before Election Day — that's why I'm excited to have such committed partners joining us in this critical effort. For the entire GOP ticket, Secure Your Vote Virginia is the key to winning — not just in 2025, but for the long haul,' Youngkin said in a statement. Many Virginia Republicans argue that Miyares is the strongest part of the Republican ticket. However, polls show Virginia's Republican ticket trailing Democrats. A poll released last month by the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, showed former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) leading Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) 49 percent to 37 percent among registered voters in the state. In the lieutenant governor's race, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) leads conservative talk show host John Reid 46 percent to 36 percent, while in the attorney general race, former state Del. Jay Jones (D) leads Miyares 47 percent to 38 percent.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Miyares leans in on law-and-order message ahead of 2025 election
'I wish more commonwealth's attorneys would heed my call to listen to victims. Too many haven't,' Attorney General Jason Miyares said in an interview with The Mercury this week. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury) As protests erupt again in Los Angeles over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and President Donald Trump's deployment of U.S. Marines to back up the National Guard, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares isn't blinking. 'It's not unprecedented,' Miyares, who is seeking a second term as Virginia's top law enforcement official, said of Trump's decision to send troops to the streets. 'President George H.W. Bush did it in 1992 during the L.A. riots. Twice the number of Marines were deployed then.' In a wide-ranging interview at his office in Richmond earlier this week, Miyares, the son of a Cuban refugee and the first Hispanic Virginian elected statewide, insisted that what's happening in California is the result of leadership failure. 'This is about protecting facilities and backing up law enforcement — not policing,' he said, emphasizing that peaceful protest is a hallmark of democracy, but violence is not. 'When you cross the line … that is not protest, that is violence.' In the interview, Miyares defended the use of force in Los Angeles, spoke at length about his office's crime-fighting initiatives and touted settlements with corporate polluters and opioid makers. He also fielded questions on civil rights enforcement, voting access, utility regulation and his complex views on criminal justice reform. Democrats, not surprisingly, remain deeply skeptical of Miyares' record. Carolyn Fiddler, spokeswoman for the Democratic Attorneys General Association, dismissed his claims of prioritizing public safety. 'Throughout his time as AG, MAGA Miyares continuously put politics before people,' Fiddler said in an email. 'While he touts his 'tough on crime' stance, he's failed to call out Donald Trump and Elon Musk for blatant violations of the law — including those actions with devastating impacts on the commonwealth. Virginians deserve better than Miyares, and we will take back the seat this year.' And while critics accuse him of being more focused on punishment than reform, Miyares says his approach is guided by listening, law enforcement feedback, and a 'victim-first' mindset. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina and raised in Virginia Beach, Miyares, 49, earned his law degree from the College of William & Mary and worked as a prosecutor before running for office. In 2015, he became the first Cuban American elected to Virginia's General Assembly. Six years later, he unseated Democratic incumbent Mark Herring to become attorney general, winning on a platform centered around public safety. Now, as he runs for reelection, Miyares is highlighting what he calls some of the biggest public safety and civil litigation wins in Virginia history. But he's also navigating internal GOP rifts, pressure from both the right and the center, and a polarized electorate that's increasingly skeptical of tough-on-crime rhetoric. 'I think one of the most important things for a leader to do is just listen,' Miyares said. Since taking office in 2022, Miyares has zeroed in on violent crime. He calls Operation Ceasefire, a grant-driven program launched in 13 Virginia cities, one of his proudest achievements. The initiative funds a mix of prevention, intervention, and prosecution strategies aimed at repeat violent offenders. 'We saw a 66% drop in the murder rate across the 13 cities,' Miyares said. 'Virginia's statewide murder rate fell by a third. We also saw a decline in overdose deaths — because we're getting fentanyl dealers off the street.' The program, he insists, is based on listening tours he conducted with police and community leaders around the state. 'Roughly 5% of felons commit over 50% of violent crimes. If you want to lower crime, you go after that small subset.' Still, sustaining the initiative may prove difficult amid budget fights. 'I wish we could expand Operation Ceasefire to more cities,' Miyares acknowledged, hinting that local buy-in has been mixed. 'I wish more commonwealth's attorneys would heed my call to listen to victims. Too many haven't.' When asked whether his office has done enough to address police misconduct, Miyares pointed to his 2023 settlement with the Town of Windsor, where officers had unlawfully stopped and threatened a Black Army lieutenant. 'You can be pro-law enforcement and still demand accountability,' he said. 'They're the only ones with a monopoly on violence in our society — they should be held to a higher standard.' He added that oversight takes time. 'We want to be thorough and systematic. And yes, if any other department crosses that boundary, we'll get involved.' That approach hasn't stopped critics from accusing Miyares of being too soft on departments that violate civil rights — an accusation he flatly rejects. 'The facts don't support that claim,' he said. Still, Miyares makes clear that his office prioritizes public safety above political fashion. 'I will not support a criminal-first, victim-last mindset,' he said. 'We've heard a lot about reform, but rarely do you hear the word 'victim' in those debates. That ends with me.' Miyares has also overseen a wave of settlements that he says bring real change to communities. 'We've secured over $1.3 billion from opioid manufacturers and distributors,' he said. Some of that money, he said, helped open a 75-bed inpatient treatment center in Galax — 'the first of its kind within a 100-mile radius.' He emphasized that the money is managed by Virginia's Opioid Abatement Authority, not his office, to ensure transparency and local tailoring. 'What works in Fairfax may not work in Galax. But this is the largest influx of treatment funding in state history.' On environmental enforcement, Miyares points to an $80 million settlement with Monsanto over PCB pollution and multiple other actions, including prosecuting illegal landfills and forcing remediation of oil spills and raw sewage discharges. 'Our environmental law section has been incredibly active,' he said. 'We're thorough, we're relentless, and we're the people's protector.' That populist posture extends to corporations. Miyares boasts of taking on utility giants and the Washington Commanders alike. 'We got a bigger settlement from the Commanders than D.C. and Maryland combined,' he said, referring to the $1.3 million paid over unlawfully withheld ticket deposits. And in 2023, his office negotiated changes to Dominion Energy's offshore wind plan. 'We got them to share $3 billion of the risk, instead of placing it all on the ratepayers,' he said. 'Before us, Virginians were on the hook for 100% of that cost.' But his critics say his record on housing and regulation is mixed. Miyares counters that protecting property rights doesn't preclude enforcing civil rights. 'I don't think those are mutually exclusive,' he said. 'We secured the largest housing discrimination verdict in Virginia's history — $750,000 to two families evicted because one member was Black. And we're making sure bad actors are held accountable, without choking off affordable housing through overregulation.' Early into his tenure, Miyares established an Election Integrity Unit, which he said ensures voter rolls are accurate. Launched in September 2022 with no new funding, the unit is tasked with investigating election-law violations and safeguarding voting integrity. It successfully issued a cease‑and‑desist against misleading mailers sent by Look Ahead America — an action upheld by a federal appeals court. But its only notable prosecution —a misdemeanor and felony case against former Prince William County registrar Michele White — collapsed after prosecutors dropped all charges due to inconsistent witness testimony. While Miyares touts the unit as crucial to preventing fraud, no actual voter fraud has been identified, leading watchdogs like the NAACP to criticize the unit as more reflective of political signaling than prosecutorial gain. 'I can cite several Virginia elections decided by a handful of votes. It should be easy to vote, hard to cheat,' he said, rejecting the notion that voter ID laws are a means of suppression. 'I cannot get a library card without an ID. Voter ID is not controversial.' In the interview, Miyares wouldn't commit to refraining from prosecuting voters accidentally registered in error, noting that knowingly voting as a non-citizen could still result in legal action. 'They'd have to fear prosecution if they go knowing they're a non-citizen,' he said. Miyares, along with Youngkin, has repeatedly challenged Virginia's ties to California's environmental standards, particularly on electric vehicles. 'Tying ourselves to California is a fool's errand,' he said. 'Their regulations are being dictated by an unelected air board. The average EV costs $68,000. That's a tax on working-class Virginians.' He said Virginia needs to expand its baseload energy capacity, not rely on intermittent sources like wind and solar. 'I want electric bills to go down. Tying ourselves to California ensures they go up.' Despite this skepticism, Miyares defended his record on climate enforcement, including recent court victories over solar and wind energy permits. 'We are enforcing the law — just not surrendering to mandates that hurt working people.' Miyares has also made 'second chances' a talking point, holding job fairs for formerly incarcerated Virginians. But he remains skeptical of broader criminal justice reforms, including eliminating mandatory minimums. 'They're an effective tool,' he said. 'They help us go after repeat violent offenders and keep them off the streets.' He argued that justice reform must be victim-centered. 'Too many of these conversations leave out the victims entirely. They've been through trauma, they've testified under oath in a courtroom full of strangers, and they deserve to know the system protects them.' When asked if he supports GOP lieutenant governor nominee John Reid, whose campaign was embroiled in scandal earlier this spring, Miyares replied simply, 'I support Republicans.' Despite Youngkin's attempts to nudge Reid from the race, Miyares said he respects the governor's judgment — but 'John Reid is our nominee.' Looking to the 2025 election, Miyares said he's proudest of the state's drop in fentanyl death — 46%, more than double the national average. 'There are Virginians alive today because of our work,' he said. If reelected, he said, he'd expand Operation Ceasefire and continue pressing commonwealth's attorneys to prioritize victims. 'I have said before, I will not support a criminal first, victim last mindset. And I find it amazing that whenever we have these great discussions about criminal justice reform, the one word that you never hear is victims,' Miyares said. 'Denying the voice of victims is not something I'll ever find acceptable.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Virginia AG discusses law enforcement partnerships and initiatives among SWVA agencies
BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares made a stop at the Bristol, Virginia Police Department on Monday to talk about the law enforcement partnerships on combating crime against the most vulnerable populations. Miyares was joined by Bristol, Virginia Police Chief Byron Ashbrook, Sheriff Tyrone Foster and Del. Israel O'Quinn. There was a heavy focus on the TRIAD program, a partnership between law enforcement, seniors, and senior organizations aimed at combating crime specifically targeting that group. Those at the press conference say scammers are becoming more advanced, so they want to make seniors aware of what could happen. And they say that loneliness is another epidemic among them. 'TRIAD is the definition of a partnership. It's about bringing law enforcement, senior citizens, and volunteers working together to help our aging population,' Miyares said. 'They're both getting information of what's happening in their community, tips from law enforcement as well as how to protect themselves but they're also doing something invaluable from a mental health standpoint, which is connecting seniors with other seniors and building friendships as a result.' Miyares says one in five Virginians are over the age of 65. In Southwest Virginia, they make up 22% of the population. He also called the partnership here a model for the rest of the Commonwealth. 'Seniors are often very engaged in their communities. They have something that a lot of us don't necessarily have that's very valuable and that's time,' Del. O'Quinn said. 'So they can pitch in and make this program better and bigger and more valuable for their friends and neighbors.' Starting July 1, the Bristol, Virginia Police Department will have a detective dedicated to crimes against children and the elderly. 'We are pulling one of the units from patrol. We are fully staffed now so one of those units will be going to the [Criminal Investigations Division] to help streamline this process in both elder abuse cases and child victims of crime cases,' Chief Ashbrook said. 'It's really important to have that continuity of care so child victims aren't seeing multiple different detectives because they go through a process if they've been a victim of crime or even a witness of crime through our children's advocacy center and through the court system and having one officer, one detective to be able to handle all that is important.' Another vulnerable population they want to focus on is those suffering mental health crises. BVPD has a co-response with the Community Support Program through the Department of Social Services. 'I'm not a mental health clinician, I'm not a doctor, but if I can keep the clinician safe and I can get the clinician to the scene, and they can do their work then it's the right response for the right type of call and it can help de-escalate situations,' Ashbrook said. 'We've seen it work in the past.' The Bristol, Virginia Sheriff's Office already has several initiatives in place to help keep children and seniors safe, including the D.A.R.E. drug awareness program, providing child identification kits, Project Lifesaver (a rapid response program for those who wander away from their caregivers), the One Pill Can Kill program, and Drug Take Back days. Sheriff Tyrone Foster says his office has provided Highlands Community Services with a deputy for the Crisis Intervention Team Assessment Center along with a location for the Mount Rogers Health District's Mobile Integrative Health Service Unit, which focuses on behavioral and mental health services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Virginia Attorney General refers Loudoun County locker room case to federal authorities
The Brief Virginia Attorney General refers Loudoun County locker room case to federal authorities. Investigators examine possible Title IX violations following student complaints about school policy. LCPS defends its actions while parents argue their children faced discrimination. LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has concluded his investigation into possible Title IX violations in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), referring the case to federal authorities for further review. The inquiry was launched after complaints from parents who alleged their sons were punished for objecting to LCPS's transgender policies. The controversy centers on an incident in the boys' locker room at Stone Bridge High School, where a student who identifies as male recorded video of an encounter with other students. The reason the student went into the locker room has not been disclosed. READ MORE: Loudoun County Public Schools board meeting turns heated as parents push back on Title IX probe According to Miyares, the boys involved were expressing sincere religious objections, while LCPS disputes that characterization. The case has become another focal point in the debate over Policy 8040, which LCPS adopted in 2021 in compliance with Virginia law. The policy allows students to use sex-separated facilities, such as locker rooms and restrooms, that correspond with their gender identity. During the incident, three boys under investigation were heard loudly questioning the presence of a student they perceived to be female, making statements such as, "There's a girl in here?" and "I'm so uncomfortable." LCPS subsequently launched a Title IX investigation to determine whether the interaction constituted harassment or discrimination. Parents of the boys argue that their children are the ones facing discrimination. One parent, Renae Smith, spoke ahead of a May 20 school board meeting, stating, "This school system has failed everybody. The policy, if you look at the facts, who felt safe in that situation? And the answer is no one and that's going to be my message tonight. No one felt safe, no one felt respected, and no one left that locker room with their dignity intact." VIDEO: Tensions rise at Loudoun County school board meeting What they're saying In a statement to FOX 5, LCPS said: "To be absolutely clear: Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) would not investigate or discipline students based on their personal opinions, thoughts, or beliefs, provided those expressions do not violate policies prohibiting hate speech, discriminatory language, threats, or other forms of harmful or disruptive conduct. However, LCPS does investigate and may take disciplinary action when student behavior violates LCPS' Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook for Families and Student Code of Conduct." LCPS has not confirmed whether its investigation has been completed. Meanwhile, Miyares announced that he has referred LCPS and its school board to the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division for further investigation. The Source Information in this article comes from Loudoun County Public Schools and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
