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State rep’s bill would punish colleges financially if they don’t rename roads after Charlie Kirk

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State rep’s bill would punish colleges financially if they don’t rename roads after Charlie Kirk

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Florida state Rep. Kevin Steele has fielded a bill that would order institutions of higher education to rename roads after the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The bill has real teeth since it stipulates that state funds should be withheld from schools that fail to comply.

“State funds shall be withheld from any state university or Florida College System institution whose board of trustees fails to redesignate the roadway or portion of a roadway listed in subsections (1) and (2), respectively, within 90 days after the effective date of this act,” the text of the proposal states.

CHARLIE KIRK HAS FLORIDA HIGHWAY NAMED AFTER HIM

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Charlie Kirk poses at The Cambridge Union on May 19, 2025, in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. (Nordin Catic/Getty Images for The Cambridge Union)

Charlie Kirk, a prominent figure in the conservative movement, was assassinated in September while holding an event at Utah Valley University.

“I’m honored to file HB 113, which renames a street at each of the 40 public institutions in Florida to Charlie James Kirk,” Steele noted in a post on X.

TURNING POINT MONTANA STATE EVENT FEATURING RAMASWAMY, GIANFORTE DRAWS THOUSANDS

“My goal with this bill is to continue his legacy through generations of students that will attend our schools and will be faced with many differing ideas,” the Republican added.

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Some examples from within the text of the proposal include, “New College of Florida shall redesignate College Drive as Charlie James Kirk Drive,” “The University of Florida shall redesignate Stadium Road as Charlie James Kirk Road” and “Hillsborough College shall redesignate West Tampa Bay Boulevard from Air Cargo Road to North Dale Mabry as Charlie James Kirk Drive.”

FLORIDA TOURISM CHIEF REJECTS WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM SUMMIT INVITATION: ‘I’M GOING TO DECLINE’

Florida state flag

The Florida State flag flies during the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022 at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Lake County board of commissioners has already designated a stretch of road as Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway.

“Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway has been approved by the Lake County Commission. The road is a section of Wellness Way from US 27 to the Orange County line. Lake County’s dedication of the highway represents the first county to memorialize Kirk in the aftermath of his assassination,” Sunshine State Gov. Ron DeSantis noted in a post on X.

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New York Times fails to mention Virginia AG hopeful Jay Jones’ texts fantasizing about shooting GOP lawmaker

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New York Times fails to mention Virginia AG hopeful Jay Jones’ texts fantasizing about shooting GOP lawmaker

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Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones once fantasized about shooting the Virginia House speaker in texts with another lawmaker, but anyone who relies on The New York Times for information would have no idea. 

Last week, text messages sent by Jones in 2022 to a fellow lawmaker surfaced showing him discussing 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. 

VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE ONCE REFERENCED PUTTING ‘TWO BULLETS TO THE HEAD’ OF GOP LEADER, TEXTS SHOW

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Jay Jones, who is running to become Virginia’s attorney general in 2025, has come under fire for a series of text messages calling for the death of political opponents and remarks about police officers.  (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

The Times, the leading political newspaper in the country, failed to mention Jones from October 3 — when a bombshell National Review report revealed the Democrat’s extreme rhetoric — through Wednesday morning, according to a search of its archives. There has been no coverage of his texts, the scandal they have created or even a “Republicans-pounce” type of article. 

The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.  

Texts obtained by Fox News Digital Friday showed an August 2022 conversation between Jones — then a recently departed delegate from Norfolk — and another lawmaker after the death of Del. Joe Johnson, D-Bristol, at age 90.

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

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New York Times search for Jay Jones

The New York Times completely ignored the scandal surrounding Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones. (New York Times/screenshot)

“Hence the glowing tributes from the Rs. Damn, that (message) was for Mark,” Jones texted Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chester.

At the time, several House Republicans — including leadership — offered eulogizing words for Johnson, who had been known as an aisle-crossing, friendly moderate. One of those who had kind words for Johnson was then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah.

Jones told Coyner that Johnson “leaked everything to your [Republican] caucus. It’s why Gilbert gave him such a glowing tribute.”

“If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves,” he continued. “Send them out awash in something.”

At that point, Coyner appeared to attempt to rein in the conversation, texting, “Jay Jones.”

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But Jones continued, adding, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”

Jones was not yet finished condemning the House leader.

“Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time,” he wrote. 

Coyner tried again to end the conversation: “Jay. Please stop.”

“Lol. OK, OK,” he replied.

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LIBERAL MSNBC PANELIST CALLS FOR VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE TO DROP OUT OVER VIOLENT TEXT MESSAGES

Jay Jones texted controversial things about Del. Todd Gilbert

A text message from Jay Jones to Del. Carrie Coyner. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

In another message to Coyner, Jones considered whether Gilbert and his wife Jennifer were “breeding little fascists.”

Jones has apologized for the texts, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family.

While the Times has failed to cover Jones, the paper did manage to 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. 

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Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Andrew Mark Miller and Charles Creitz contributed to this report. 

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Who is Elizabeth Simons? Meet the largest individual donor to Virginia’s disgraced Dem AG nominee

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Who is Elizabeth Simons? Meet the largest individual donor to Virginia’s disgraced Dem AG nominee

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FIRST ON FOX: The largest individual donor to Jay Jones’ flailing attorney general campaign in Virginia is a billionaire heiress who has backed a variety of left-wing candidates and causes along with a recent massive donation backing socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

Elizabeth “Liz” Simons, the daughter of the late billionaire hedge fund manager James “Jim” Simons, donated a total of $750,000 to Jones’ campaign over the past few months in four separate payments, campaign finance records show

The elder Simons founded the successful hedge fund Renaissance Technologies and built up a personal fortune worth $31.4 billion over the course of his lifetime while donating billions of that money to charity.

The donations from his daughter are likely to face increased scrutiny after Jones was the subject of a National Review report on Friday that exposed text messages he sent fantasizing about shooting a Republican colleague, former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, in the head and suggesting his wife should have to watch his young “fascist” children die.

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DEM SENATOR’S HEFTY DONATION TO DISGRACED AG CANDIDATE’S CAMPAIGN COMES BACK TO HAUNT HIM

Chair of the board of the Heising-Simons Foundation Elizabeth Simons speaks onstage at the 2016 Milken Institute Global Conference. (Getty Images)

The texts compared Gilbert to mass murderers Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, adding that if he was given two bullets, he would use both against the GOP lawmaker to shoot him in the head.

The report has prompted Republicans in Virginia and across the country to call for Jones to drop out of the race, but as of Wednesday afternoon, he is still in the race as Democrats who endorsed him rally around his candidacy.

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, who condemned the texts, said he is “still a supporter” of his campaign.

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Fox News Digital reported on Tuesday that Mark Warner, the other Democratic senator in Virginia, also criticized Jones’ “appalling” texts and said his behavior was “inconsistent with the person I’ve known,” but stopped short of calling for him to drop out of the race. His office did not respond to a request for comment on the $25,000 donation to Jones’ campaign.

Jones has since apologized, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family.

GUN CONTROL GROUP GAVE SIX-FIGURE DONATION TO DEM CANDIDATE WHO FANTASIZED ABOUT SHOOTING GOP LAWMAKER

Jay Jones texted controversial things about Del. Todd Gilbert

A text message from Jay Jones to Del. Carrie Coyner. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

In August, Simons gave $250,000 to a super PAC aligned with Mamdani and has been a prolific donor to a variety of Democratic campaigns and causes. 

FEC records reviewed by Fox News Digital show that she has given millions of dollars to the Senate Majority PAC, which has close ties to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the House Majority PAC, a fundraising operation aligned with House Democratic leadership. She also gave over $800,000 to a PAC that supported Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign.

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Jay Jones at podium

Virginia attorney general candidate Jerrauld “Jay” Jones speaks at an event in Norfolk, Virginia, on on June 17, 2025. (Trevor Metcalfe/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Simons, who joined her husband in forming the Heising-Simons Foundation in 2007 to bankroll left-wing environmentalist, education, and social policy causes, has recently made donations to Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff’s campaign, over $100,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and over $40,000 to the Democratic National Committee.

Her family foundation is also a member of at least two gun control advocacy organizations, including Fund for a Safer Future and Hope and Heal Fund, which are both controlled by the New Venture Fund, according to the Capital Research Center’s InfluenceWatch.

Fox News Digital reached out to Simons for comment, but did not receive a response by press time.

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Top GOP group drops big money into Virginia showdown after Dem AG nominee’s violent texts go viral

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Top GOP group drops big money into Virginia showdown after Dem AG nominee’s violent texts go viral

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The Republican Governors Association is dishing out an additional $1.5 million to boost Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the GOP nominee facing off against former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger in November’s ballot box gubernatorial showdown.

The new funding from the RGA, the top group that supports Republicans in races for governor, comes after explosive revelations in Virginia’s attorney general race that the GOP is aiming to leverage up and down the ballot.

Democratic Party attorney general nominee Jay Jones has acknowledged and apologized for texts he sent in 2022, where he compared then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert to mass murderers Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, adding that if he was given two bullets, he would use both against the GOP lawmaker to shoot him in the head.

Jones has been in crisis mode since the texts were first reported last Friday by the National Review, and a chorus of calls from Republicans urges Jones to drop out of the race.

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DEMOCRATIC VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE CANCELS EVENTS AMID CONTROVERSY

Winsome Earle-Sears, Republican gubernatorial nominee in Virginia,  during a campaign event at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department in Vienna, Virginia, US, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Earle-Sears, who trails Spanberger in all the latest public opinion polls in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, is hammering her Democratic rival for not calling on Jones to drop out of the race. 

The Earle-Sears campaign launched a new ad, which was first reported on Tuesday by Fox News Digital, that aims to link Spanberger to Jones and calls on voters to “reject the insanity” and “vote Republican.”

TRUMP FRONT-AND-CENTER IN THESE 2025 ELECTION SHOWDOWNS

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“It’s clearer now than ever that this race isn’t about Republicans versus Democrats. It’s common sense versus violence,” said Peyton Vogel, a spokesperson for Earle-Sears campaign, in a statement to Fox News. “The RGA understands what’s at stake here in Virginia, and their support will help us stand strong against Abigail Spanberger’s ticket of rage.”

The boost in funding by the RGA, first reported by Politico and confirmed by Fox News Digital, now matches the roughly $5 million investment by the rival Democratic Governors Association (DGA) to Spanberger. But the RGA’s infusion of cash is still far short of the nearly $11 million the group spent four years ago to help elect Youngkin.

Abigail Spanberger during a rally

Abigail Spanberger, Virginia Democratic Party nominee for Governor, addresses the crowd during an event in support of her run for office at the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center in Richmond, Virginia, on April 8, 2025. (Max Posner/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Earle-Sears and Spanberger face off in a debate on Thursday evening, and it’s expected the controversy over Jones’ three-year-old texts will be discussed.

Virginia and New Jersey are the only two states to hold gubernatorial showdowns in the year after a presidential election and the contests traditionally grab outsized attention and are viewed as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections.

DGA Communications Director Sam Newton, asked for a comment, argued that “Winsome Sears is running a disastrous campaign.”

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Newton went on to say that “Instead of desperate spin to try to bail out a losing campaign, the RGA should ask Donald Trump a simple question: why does he still refuse to endorse or campaign with Sears?”

HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS COVERAGE OF THE 2025 ELECTIONS

Jones, who has apologized for the texts, has not held a campaign event since Friday evening.

Most Virginia Democrats, including the Commonwealth’s two U.S. senators, have condemned Jones’ comments, but have stopped short of urging him to drop out of the race.

Jay Jones speaks during a campaign stop

Jay Jones, who is running to become Virginia’s attorney general in 2025, has been heavily criticized over a series of past text messages calling for the death of political opponents and remarks about police officers.  (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a DGA vice chair who takes over as chair next year, told Fox News Digital that the text was “absolutely inappropriate.

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“I condemn political violence in all forms and the type of language that would discuss or promote political violence,” the governor emphasized in an interview in New Hampshire.

But asked about GOP calls for Jones to end his campaign, Beshear said, “I don’t know enough about that situation.”

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed reporting.

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