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Virginia Attorney General election, 2025
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← 2021
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| Virginia Attorney General |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: April 3, 2025 |
| Primary: June 17, 2025 General: November 4, 2025 Pre-election incumbent(s): Jason Miyares (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Virginia |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2025 Impact of term limits in 2025 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2025 |
| Virginia executive elections |
| Governor |
| On the Ballot takes a look at Virginia's 2025 elections. |
Incumbent Jason Miyares (R) and Jerrauld Jones (D) are running in the general election for attorney general of Virginia on November 4, 2025.
According to AP's Olivia Diaz, Virginia's odd-year elections are "seen as referendums on the party in power before Congress heads into midterm elections. ... Democrats’ hold on Virginia has slipped in recent years, moving it close to swing-state status nationally. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin beat former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2021. Still, Democrats have history on their side: The party of the sitting president typically suffers defeat in Virginia’s statewide races. And considering Trump has never won the state, Democrats are probably better positioned to make gains."[1]
University of Virginia Professor Larry Sabato said, "Jason Miyares is the incumbent, which means Jay Jones has a tough race automatically against an incumbent. But go back four years: Miyares beat the Democratic incumbent. How? He had coattails from Youngkin."[2] Sabato said that in 2025, "The greatest threat to Jason Miyares is not really the Democratic nominee. It’s Donald Trump. It’s coattail."[3]
Miyares was elected attorney general in 2021. The Virginia Scope's Brandon Jarvis said, "Miyares argues that Virginia is safer today than it was when he took office, pointing to declines in murder and overdose rates as the centerpiece of his reelection pitch to voters."[4] Miyares said he "secured over $1 billion in opioid settlements" and "launched Operation Ceasefire ... a multifaceted approach to fighting violent crime by focusing on violence intervention in communities and aggressive prosecution of violent gun crimes."[5] As of July 13, 2025, the Republican Attorneys General Association pledged $2 million to support Miyares' campaign.[6]
Jones was an assistant attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia and represented the 89th District in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2021. Jones said he is running "to protect Virginia families — from crime and violence, corporate price gouging, and politicians with extreme agendas attacking our rights and Virginia workers."[7] As an assistant attorney general in Washington D.C., Jones said he "took on the gun lobby to keep families safe from violent crime, sued corporate special interests to prevent higher grocery prices, and went after big banks and slumlords preying on consumers."[7] As of July 13, 2025, the Democratic Attorneys General Association pledged $1 million to support Jones' campaign.[8]
Jones has tied Miyares to Trump and his policies, including the federal workforce cuts. Virginia has approximately 145,000 federal employees, or roughly 5% of the state's workforce.[9][10] Jones said, "Federal workers are under siege and they've not done a single thing to protect us, to do the job that [Miyares] was elected to do."[11]
Miyares casts himself as the public safety candidate, saying, "More Virginians are alive today than when I took office because our murder rate has dropped one-third... in our targeted ceasefire cities, [it] has dropped 66 percent."[11] Miyares added that Jones was one of the "most left-wing legislators ever in the history of the Virginia legislature" and was unqualified for the job because he never served as a prosecutor.[11]
The results of this election, and the state's gubernatorial election, will determine Virginia's triplex status. A triplex is when one political party holds the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state offices. In Virginia, the governor appoints the secretary of the commonwealth.
Virginia switched from a Democratic to a Republican triplex following the 2021 elections of Youngkin and Miyares. Youngkin appointed Kay Coles James (R) secretary of the commonwealth when he took office in 2022. The state will remain a Republican triplex if Miyares and the Republican gubernatorial nominee, Winsome Earle-Sears, win the elections. It will become a Democratic triplex if Jones and the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Abigail Spanberger, win the elections. If one Republican and one Democrat win either of the races, Virginia will have a divided government.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Virginia Attorney General election, 2025 (June 17 Republican primary)
- Virginia Attorney General election, 2025 (June 17 Democratic primary)
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for Attorney General of Virginia
Incumbent Jason Miyares and Jerrauld Jones are running in the general election for Attorney General of Virginia on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Jason Miyares (R) | |
 | Jerrauld Jones (D) | |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Virginia
Jerrauld Jones defeated Shannon Taylor in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Virginia on June 17, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jerrauld Jones | 51.1 | 252,976 |
 | Shannon Taylor | 48.9 | 241,969 | |
| Total votes: 494,945 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jason Miyares advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Virginia.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Virginia
Candidate comparison
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
- Attorney General of Virginia (Assumed office: 2022)
- Virginia House of Delegates, District 82 (2016-2022)
Biography: Miyares received a bachelor's degree in business administration from James Madison University in 1998 and a J.D. from the College of William & Mary in 2005. Miyares' work experience included serving as an attorney at Hanger & Associates, P.C. and as a prosecutor in the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Office.
Show sources
Sources: Virginia Mercury, "Miyares leans in on law-and-order message ahead of 2025 election," June 13, 2025; Attorney General Jason Miyares, "About Jason Miyares," accessed July 8, 2025; Virginia Scope, "Miyares talks first term and his reelection campaign," May 12, 2025; LinkedIn, "Jason Miyares," accessed July 8, 2025; Attorney General Jason Miyares, "About Jason Miyares," accessed July 8, 2025; Facebook, "William & Mary Law School," November 3, 2021
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
Virginia House of Delegates, District 89 (2018-2021)
Biography: Jones received a bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary in 2010 and a J.D. from the University of Virginia in 2015. He served as an assistant attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia from 2022 to 2023. At the time of the election, Jones was a senior associate at law firm Hogan Lovells.
Show sources
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign advertisements
This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.
Jason Miyares
View more ads here:
Jerrauld Jones
View more ads here:
Election competitiveness
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from RealClearPolitics, when available. We will regularly check for polling aggregation for this race and add polls here once available. To notify us of polls available for this race, please email us.
Endorsements
Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
Election spending
Campaign finance
The section and tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[12][13][14]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
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Election context
Ballot access requirements
See statutes: Title 24.2, Chapter 5 of the Election Code of Virginia
For partisan candidates
A political party candidate participating in a primary election must complete the candidate qualification certificate form for the office being sought. The form is a written statement (made under oath) indicating that the candidate is qualified to vote for and to hold the office for which he or she is a candidate. The form must be filed before a candidate can purchase a registered voter's list for petition purposes. A candidate for election to statewide office, the United States House of Representatives, or the Virginia General Assembly must file the statement with the Virginia State Board of Elections. A candidate for any other office must file the statement with the general registrar of the county or city where he or she resides.[15][16]
A candidate must also file a written statement of economic interests if running for the state legislature, statewide office, a school board in a town or city with a population in excess of 3,500, or for constitutional office.[17]
The candidate qualification certificate and statement of economic interests must be filed by the filing deadline for the primary.[18]
The candidate must also file a declaration of candidacy and petition on or before the filing deadline for the election. The petition must contain the required number of signatures for the office being sought (signature requirements are summarized in the table below). Candidates seeking to participate in a primary election must also pay a primary filing fee. The filing fee is 2 percent of the minimum annual salary for the office being sought.[19]
| Signature requirements | |
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| Office sought | Signature requirements |
| Governor, United States Senate, and other statewide offices | 10,000, including 400 qualified voters from each congressional district |
| United States House of Representatives | 1,000 |
| Virginia State Senate | 250 |
| Virginia House of Delegates | 125 |
For independent candidates
An independent candidate for the United States House of Representatives or the United States Senate must file a declaration of candidacy, a petition, and a candidate qualification certificate form with the Virginia State Board of Elections. A candidate for statewide office or the Virginia General Assembly must file a declaration of candidacy form, a petition, a statement of economic interests form, and a candidate qualification certificate form. The candidate must file the required forms by 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday in June. A candidate for local office must file a declaration of candidacy, a petition, a statement of economic interests form, and a candidate qualification certificate form with the local authority in the county or city in which the office is being sought. The candidate must submit the required forms by 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday in June.[18][20][21]
An independent candidate must gather the same number of petition signatures as partisan candidates. There are no filing fees for independent candidates.
For write-in candidates
Write-in votes are permitted in all elections but primaries. A voter may cast a write-in vote for any person other than the candidates for the given office listed on the ballot. Write-in candidates are not required to file any special forms in advance in order to have their votes tallied (except in the case of presidential and vice presidential candidates, who must file declarations of intent).[22]
Attorney General of Virginia election history
2021
General election
General election for Attorney General of Virginia
Jason Miyares defeated incumbent Mark Herring in the general election for Attorney General of Virginia on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jason Miyares (R) | 50.4 | 1,647,534 |
 | Mark Herring (D) | 49.6 | 1,621,227 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 2,996 | ||
| Total votes: 3,271,757 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Virginia
Incumbent Mark Herring defeated Jerrauld Jones in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Virginia on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Herring | 56.6 | 274,736 |
| Jerrauld Jones | 43.4 | 210,365 | |
| Total votes: 485,101 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican convention
Republican Convention for Attorney General of Virginia
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Jason Miyares in round 3 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
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Total votes: 12,553 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
2017
- See also: Virginia attorney general election, 2017
Incumbent Mark Herring (D) defeated John Adams (R) in the election for Attorney General of Virginia.[23]
| Virginia Attorney General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Mark Herring Incumbent |
53.39% | 1,385,389 | |
| Republican | John Adams | 46.61% | 1,209,339 | |
| Total Votes | 2,594,728 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
2013
On November 5, 2013, Mark Herring won election to the office of Attorney General of Virginia. He defeated Mark Obenshain (R) in the general election.
| Attorney General of Virginia, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Mark Herring |
50% | 1,105,045 | |
| Republican | Mark Obenshain | 50% | 1,104,138 | |
| Total Votes | 2,209,183 | |||
| Election results via Virginia State Board of Elections. | ||||
Earlier results
To view the electoral history dating back to 2001 for the office of Attorney General of Virginia, click [show] to expand the section. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2009 On November 3, 2009, Ken T. Cuccinelli II won election to the office of Attorney General of Virginia. He defeated Stephen C. Shannon (D) in the general election.
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2025 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This is a battleground election. Other 2025 battleground elections include:
- Maine School Administrative District 40, Maine, elections (2025)
- Mayoral election in St. Louis, Missouri, 2025 (March 4 top-two primary)
- Minnesota State Senate District 6 special election, 2025
See also
| Virginia | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ AP, "Virginia Democrats move to round out ticket in key off-year election," June 17, 2025
- ↑ 13News Now, "Larry Sabato: What's in store for the future of Aaron Rouse, Virginia politics after primary elections," June 18, 2025
- ↑ 29 News, "Jones and Miyares set to face off in Virginia Attorney General race," June 18, 2025
- ↑ Virginia Scope, "Miyares talks first term and his reelection campaign," May 12, 2025
- ↑ Attorney General Jason Miyares, "About Jason Miyares," accessed July 7, 2025
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Republican group dumps $2 million into Virginia attorney general race," July 11, 2025
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jay Jones for Attorney General, "Meet Jay Jones," accessed July 7, 2025
- ↑ Democratic Attorneys General Association, "DAGA Announces Initial $1 Million Investment in Virginia AG Race," June 26, 2025
- ↑ The Hill, "DOGE cuts pose potential liability for GOP in Virginia elections," February 23, 2025
- ↑ Axios, "Republicans worry DOGE cuts will sink them in Virginia governor's race," June 7, 2025
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 13 News Now, "Jones and Miyares traded blows in Virginia attorney general race," June 25, 2025
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ Election Code of Virginia, "Section 24.2-501," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Election Code of Virginia, "Section 24.2-947.1," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Election Code of Virginia, "Section 24.2-502," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Election Code of Virginia, "Section 24.2-503," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Election Code of Virginia, "Section 24.2-523," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Election Code of Virginia, "Section 24.2-505," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "Becoming a Candidate," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Code of Virginia, "Title 24.2, Section 24.2-644," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "List of Statewide Candidates," October 17, 2017
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