In a nail-biter Democratic primary Tuesday, Jay Jones narrowly defeated Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor in the race for attorney general, setting up a November showdown with Republican incumbent Jason Miyares. 

According to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections, Jones won 51% of the vote to Taylor’s 49%.

Jones, a former state delegate from Norfolk and one-time candidate for attorney general in 2021, returns to statewide politics with a renewed focus on consumer protection, corporate accountability, and civil rights.

 “The Attorney General should work for the people, not the wealthiest corporations in our state,” Jones told The Mercury in a recent interview. “I will always fight to hold special interests accountable, encourage cleaner and more affordable energy practices, and protect families from unfair utility costs.”

With a razor-thin victory margin, the win marks a political comeback for Jones, who stepped away from elected office in 2021 following the birth of his first child. During his tenure in the House of Delegates, he helped pass legislation to expand Medicaid, raise teacher pay, defend abortion rights, and authored the “Ashanti Alert” law for missing adults — now used nationwide.

He also drew on his experience as an Assistant Attorney General in Washington, D.C., where he cracked down on slumlords, gun manufacturers and price-gouging corporations. 

“As Attorney General, I’ll continue this fight and take on the corporate price gougers driving up costs for working families,” Jones said, citing the proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger as one example.

Jones, a descendant of enslaved Virginians and son of the late Judge Jerrauld C. Jones, grew up steeped in public service. His grandfather was a pioneering civil rights attorney and the first Black member of the State Board of Education.

Virginia’s Democratic ticket will come into sharper focus once the election results are certified. But with Jones now locked in to challenge Miyares, voters can expect a high-profile battle this fall over criminal justice, consumer rights and the future of abortion access.

The story originally appeared on VirgniaMercury.com.