Much of the legacy media has downplayed the explosive scandal plaguing Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s attorney general race. 

Last week, text messages sent by Jones in 2022 to a fellow lawmaker surfaced showing him fantasizing about giving then-Republican House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert “two bullets to the head,” even suggesting that if Gilbert witnessed the murder of his own children that it would encourage him to pivot on policy. Jones has since apologized. 

Other controversies have emerged, including allegations that Jones had said if more police were killed it would reduce the shootings of civilians, which he denied. And after a reckless driving conviction in 2022, Jones served 500 hours of “community service” to his own Political Action Committee. 

It remains to be seen whether Jones, who remains in the race for AG, will impact Virginia’s gubernatorial race as his Democratic ballot running mate Abigail Spanberger maintains a lead in the polls against her Republican rival, incumbent Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. However, the media’s scarce coverage is aiding the Democratic ticket. 

DEMOCRATS STAND BY VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL WHO FANTASIZED ABOUT KILLING GOP LAWMAKER

The New York Times, the leading political newspaper in the country, has dedicated zero ink to Jones since the controversy emerged last week, according to its website’s search results. 

The Times did, however, run multiple articles in 2014 about a Republican congressional aide who was forced to resign after facing backlash for a Facebook post insulting Sasha and Malia Obama. 

There was virtually no coverage on the three major broadcast networks. None of ABC, NBC and CBS’ morning and evening newscasts drew attention to the brewing scandal in the Commonwealth. There was a passing reference made on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday by Republican panelist Marc Short, prompting anchor Kristen Welker to concede it was “going to be a big story” in the coming days, which otherwise would not have been discussed on her program if it weren’t for Short. It has yet to be addressed on ABC’s “The View.” The three networks only acknowledged the controversy on their websites. 

YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST ‘STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE’ OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADER

The New York Times has yet to cover the growing scandal in Virginia’s attorney general race, according to search results on its website.  (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Other outlets like The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, NPR and PBS have yet to report on Jones, according to search results on their websites. 

The Associated Press has only published two stories on the controversy so far, one of them with the headline, “Trump’s GOP seizes on violent rhetoric from Virginia AG candidate as high-stakes elections loom.”

CNN and MSNBC have offered minimal coverage on a handful of programs, but none of it during their primetime programming, which draws the most viewers. MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough made headlines when he called for Jones to withdraw from the AG race. By Tuesday, however, both networks had moved on from the scandal.  

VIRGINIA LAWMAKER CLAIMS JAY JONES SAID THAT IF MORE POLICE WERE KILLED IT WOULD REDUCE SHOOTINGS OF CIVILIANS

Virginia Attorney General candidate Jay Jones was convicted of reckless driving in 2022. ( Craig Hudson For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Washington Post editorial board didn’t go nearly as far as while condemning Jones’ texts.

“The commonwealth has a proud tradition of elevating sensible politicians from both parties. Gentility is the Virginia Way. His texts were the opposite of that. Jones has a month to convince voters that his hateful rhetoric does not reflect how he’d behave if elected as attorney general,” The Post editorial board wrote Friday. 

Spanberger and other Democrats have spoken out against Jones’ comments, but none have called for him to step aside, hoping he can ride out the scandal. Early voting in Virginia has already begun and the commonwealth’s deadline to remove a name from the ballot has already passed. 

A “highly unusual” wooden canoe that was unearthed in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian is still puzzling experts three years later.

The canoe was discovered in Fort Myers, Florida, in fall 2022, according to state officials. 

The Florida Division of Historical Resources (FDHR) announced on Sept. 12 that the canoe’s conservation is now complete, yet the mystery of where it came from and how old it is remains.

ENEMY VESSEL THAT EXPLODED DURING 1748 BATTLE MAY HAVE BEEN FOUND IN NORTH CAROLINA RIVER

“The canoe’s form is highly unusual in Florida and research is still ongoing to determine its origin,” the FDHR’s Facebook post said. “Comparisons to similar vessels in the Caribbean suggest that it may have connections to that region.”

“If this is proven, then this canoe may be considered a cayuco, a term used in Hispanic countries to distinguish a small dugout canoe typically for riverine or coastal navigation.”

The Sept. 12 post inspired a flurry of questions about what type of wood the canoe was made from – and a week later, Florida officials returned with their answer.

DIVERS REVEAL IMAGES OF 321-YEAR-OLD SHIPWRECK IN REMARKABLE CONDITION OFF COAST

“Many people asked what kind of wood the canoe was made of,” the FDHR’s Sept. 18 post read.

“Researchers think this may be the first record of a canoe in Florida being constructed of mahogany!”

“After investigation by a respected wood anatomist, it seems that the canoe is made of mahogany!”

The mahogany either came from South Florida or the Caribbean, still leaving the origin a mystery. 

The species is native to the northern Keys and the Everglades.

Researchers say the canoe could be a cayuco, a dugout boat used for river and coastal travel. (Florida Division of Historical Resources)

“Researchers think this may be the first record of a canoe in Florida being constructed of mahogany!” officials added.

MORE FROM FOX NEWS LIFESTYLE

Florida was home to the first permanent European settlement in the continental U.S. It’s full of history, and archaeological discoveries continue to unravel there.

Officials said researchers are still investigating whether the mahogany was sourced from South Florida or the Caribbean. (Florida Division of Historical Resources)

This summer, a Florida man stumbled on a wrecked vessel while fishing with his grandson – possibly a 19th-century ship designed to carry rum.

Earlier this year, officials uncovered remnants of British structures in St. Augustine, shedding light on the city’s 18th-century history.

Democrats on Tuesday picked their nominee in a special congressional election for a vacant seat in Tennessee.

Aftyn Behn, a former healthcare community organizer and current Democrat state representative, captured her party’s nomination, according to The Associated Press. The Dickson County Democratic Party described Behn as “our very own AOC of TN,” in a reference to U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., according to The Tennessee Star.

The primary field included three state representatives and a consultant in Tennessee’s solidly red 7th Congressional District.

Behn will now be considered the underdog in the Dec. 2 general election in the race to succeed former Republican Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from office in June to take a private sector job.

HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS COVERAGE OF THE 2025 ELECTIONS

President Donald Trump carried the district, which is located in central and western Tennessee and stretches from Kentucky to Alabama, by roughly 20 points in last year’s presidential election.

TRUMP FRONT-AND-CENTER IN THESE 2025 ELECTION SHOWDOWNS

A special election is being held in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District to fill the seat left vacant when Republican Rep. Mark Green resigned from the U.S. House in June to take a job in the private sector. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Trump’s immense political clout in Republican nomination races faced a test Tuesday in a crowded and competitive GOP primary. This after the president last week endorsed Matt Van Epp, a former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, and one of 11 names on the ballot in the GOP primary. Van Epp claimed victory on Tuesday.

Tennessee state Rep. Aftyn Behn D-Nashville, speaks to member of the press at Cordell Hull State Office Building in Nashville , Tennessee, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Nicole Hester / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Republicans currently control the House 219-213, with two vacancies: the seat in Tennessee and Texas 18th Congressional District, following the death earlier this year of Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner.

Democrat Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won a special congressional election in Arizona last month, has yet to be sworn in.