Whoever controls the Virginia Democrats X account, and thought this was a good idea to try and “get” Winsome Earle-Sears, should probably have their tweeting privileges revoked.

The media and the Democrats (but I repeat myself) have tried to make some political hay from a truly gross Telegram group chat between several leaders of Young Republicans groups from New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont. The leaked group chat was published in POLITICO, and yes, it is full of stupid people saying very stupid things, and it all feeds into every single belief that Democrats and the media believe about Republicans.

Together, the messages reveal a culture where racist, antisemitic and violent rhetoric circulate freely — and where the Trump-era loosening of political norms has made such talk feel less taboo among those positioning themselves as the party’s next leaders.

“The more the political atmosphere is open and liberating — like it has been with the emergence of Trump and a more right wing GOP even before him — it opens up young people and older people to telling racist jokes, making racist commentaries in private and public,” said Joe Feagin, a Texas A&M sociology professor who has studied racism for the last 60 years. He’s also concerned the words would be applied to public policy. “It’s chilling, of course, because they will act on these views.”

The dynamic of easy racism and casual cruelty played out in often dark, vivid fashion inside the chats, where campaign talk and party gossip blurred into streams of slurs and violent fantasies.

All the people in the group chat have been identified, but only one is actually an elected official (Samuel Douglass is now a state senator in Vermont). Others have been fired from whatever position they currently held. Will any of them have much of a future in politics going forward? Probably not. Should their lives be ruined over a group chat where many a vile and ignorant thing was said? Vice President JD Vance was making the argument that no, their lives should not be ruined.

After Politico’s initial report Tuesday, Vance posted on X a screen grab from 2022 text messages in which Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate in Virginia’s attorney general race, suggested that a prominent Republican get “two bullets to the head.”

“This is far worse than anything said in a college group chat, and the guy who said it could become the AG of Virginia,” Vance wrote Tuesday. “I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence.”

Vance reiterated his initial sentiment Wednesday on “ The Charlie Kirk Show ” podcast, saying when asked about the reporting that a “person seriously wishing for political violence and political assassination is 1,000 times worse than what a bunch of young people, a bunch of kids say in a group chat, however offensive it might be.”

Vance, 41, said he grew up in a different era where “most of what I, the stupid things that I did as a teenager and as a young adult, they’re not on the internet.”

The father of three said he would caution his own children, “especially my boys, don’t put things on the internet, like, be careful with what you post. If you put something in a group chat, assume that some scumbag is going to leak it in an effort to try to cause you harm or cause your family harm.”

“I really don’t want to us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke, telling a very offensive, stupid joke is cause to ruin their lives,” Vance said.

One can agree with the vice president in principle, and acknowledge that these Young Republicans will suffer consequences because people will choose not to associate with them because of their stunning lack of judgment. Also, could we get a follow-up on what is being stunningly glossed over by pretty much everyone on both sides of the aisle and the media is that two of the members of the chat, Peter Giunta and Bobby Walker, as POLITICO says, “speak flippantly about mishandling the club’s finances” and that the group is in debt? It seems rather important, right?

However, it is rather rich to see these Young Republicans be excoriated by Democrats and the media, who have been tellingly silent regarding Democrat Jay Jones, candidate for attorney general in Virginia. In this, Vance is completely correct. What Jay Jones said is FAR worse than this group chat, but the media is willing to give him a pass. Just look at how the AP framed Vance’s pointing out of the double standard.

Jones has taken “full responsibility” for his comments and offered a public apology to Todd Gilbert, who then was speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates.

Ummmm, what? Saying that you take “full responsibility” is not the same as ACTUALLY taking responsibility. An “I’m sorry” after you wish someone dead, and their children dead, for the advancement of your own political agenda, is hardly taking “full responsibility.” But Jones has that magical “D” after his name, so he gets a pass from his fellow Democrats and the media.

Enter the Virginia Democrats, who saw this POLITICO story and thought, “Hey, what if we challenged Winsome Earle-Sears to say something? This couldn’t possibly backfire on us at all! Let’s release a statement!”

INBOX from the Virginia Democratic Party 👇

“Sears Must Call on All Young Republicans Implicated in Racist Text Scandal to Step Down from Their Positions” #vapol pic.twitter.com/SRQUW3XOFN

— Julia Manchester (@JuliaManch) October 15, 2025

Narrator: it backfired. Winsome Earle-Sears got the easiest meatball pitch thrown, and she swung and cracked it out of the park and in the face of the Virginia Democrats.

Easy, they absolutely must step down.

Now it’s your turn, Abigail. https://t.co/Fatu6PoJym

— Winsome Earle-Sears (@winwithwinsome) October 15, 2025

Remember, Virginia Democrats are still supporting Jay Jones. Abigail Spanberger has had no good response to the Jay Jones murder wishcasting, and got absolutely smoked in the debate with Earle-Sears. And now the Virginia Democrats account just got clocked with their own rake.

I’d love to know who thought this was gonna be a tough gotcha for Winsome. Your turn, indeed, Abigail. And we’re asking about your running mate, not some YRs randos. https://t.co/hKucf821lm

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) October 16, 2025

Someone is going to have their X password changed very soon, methinks. Talk about an own goal of epic proportions that just allowed Winsome Earle-Sears to remind everyone – AGAIN – that Virginia Democrats are sticking with Jay Jones. The polls are responding accordingly – the Virginia gubernatorial race has tightened, while the attorney general’s race has completely flipped.

So, everyone give a round of applause to the Virginia Democrats, who singlehandedly gave Winsome Earle-Sears the ability to call out Abigail Spanberger yet again. That egg on their faces looks excellent.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click