NEW: ACLU distributes mailer clearly favoring Dem Jay Jones in Virginia AG race despite policy of not endorsing candidates

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently paid for and distributed a left-wing mailer in Virginia regarding the state attorney general race, using language that clearly favors Jones as the candidate, despite the organization having a policy against endorsing or opposing political candidates as a nonprofit organization.

The mailer, which was delivered to multiple locations in Virginia, stated, "The ACLU does not endorse or oppose candidates, but we do want voters to make an informed choice" under a table showing the positions of Jones on Miyares on the topics of abortion, voting rights, federal funding, and Medicaid.

Although the flyer did not explicitly endorse Jones, the ACLU provided multiple direct quotes from the Democrat, who was recently revealed to have wished for the death of GOP politician Todd Gilbert as well as his children. In the portion dedicated to Miyares, no quotes from the GOP politician were cited and the ACLU used left-wing phrasing such as that Miyares wanted to "take away the federal constitutional right to abortion" and painted the AG candidate in a negative light. 

On federal funding cuts, the ACLU characterized Miyares negatively, saying that the Virginia AG did not join a wave of left-wing Attorneys General who “challenged federal layoffs that gutted civil rights enforcement and impacted thousands of Virginians.”

Conversely, the ACLU pulled a direct quote from Jones, which was not only a talking point in favor of Jones, but also an attack on Miyares. "While our current AG enables Trump's attacks on our workforce, I promise to use every tool to protect Virginia federal workers," the ACLU cited as Jones' position on federal funding.  

One individual reported getting the mailer in Virginia, and posted a video to X, shredding the flyer with the caption, "The only thing to do with the ACLU’s pro Jay Jones mailers."

Another user on X also recounted experiences with similar mailers from the ACLU. 

"CA voters know these shady 'informationals' from ACLU are SOP electioneering lawfare. They do 'questionnaires' where only their candidate gets to answer, report cards that they then defend as impartial, etc," X user Ron Bassilian wrote. 

The mailer encouraged those who received it to "vote by Nov. 4 for attorney general of VA," and said that voters "have the power to protect our civil rights & liberties." The only candidate that the ACLU cited as protecting various "rights" on the mailer was Jones. 

The release of the mailer comes after Jones' race has been mired in controversy after it was revealed that he wished death on a GOP colleague in a text chain with GOP Delegate Carrie Coyner. Jones texted in 2022, "Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, hitler and pol pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head. Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time." 

While Coyner was also on the phone talking to Jones, he reportedly "suggested he wished Gilbert’s wife could watch her own child die in her arms so that Gilbert might reconsider his political views, prompting Coyner to hang up the phone in disgust."

Afterward, Jones texted her back, and then Coyner pointed out that he was "talking about hopping jennifer Gilbert's children would die." [sic]

"Yes, I've told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy," Jones replied. "I mean do I think Todd and Jennifer are evil? And that they're breeding little fascists? Yes."