Jason Miyares focuses on law and order ahead of the 2025 elections

In an extensive interview conducted at his Richmond office earlier this week by Miyares – the son of Cuban refugees and the first Hispanic Virginian to be elected statewide – he insisted that the current situation in California was the result of poor leadership.

He said that the purpose of this protest was to protect facilities and support law enforcement, not to police them. Violence is not part of democracy. “When you cross the lines… that’s not protest. That’s violence .”

Miyares, in the interview, defended the use force by Los Angeles police, talked at length about the crime-fighting efforts of his office, and praised settlements reached with corporations polluting the environment and opioid manufacturers. He was also asked about civil rights enforcement and voting access.

While critics claim that he is more focused on punishing than reforming, Miyares insists his approach is guided through listening, feedback from law enforcement, and an “victims-first” mentality.

Virginia Beach is now a statewide event

Miyares was born in Greensboro in North Carolina, raised in Virginia Beach and earned his law degree at the College of William & Mary. He worked as a prosecution lawyer before running for office.

In 2015, he was the first Cuban American to be elected to Virginia’s General Assembly. Six years later he defeated Democratic incumbent Mark Herring and became Virginia’s Attorney General, winning with a public safety-focused platform.

Miyares, who is running for reelection in Virginia, highlights what he describes as some of the largest victories in civil litigation and public safety that Virginia has ever seen. He’s also dealing with internal GOP rifts and pressures from the right and center. And a polarized voter base that is increasingly skeptical about tough-on crime rhetoric.

“I believe one of the most crucial things a leader can do is to listen,” Miyares stated.

Miyares, who took office in 2022 has focused on violent crime. Operation Ceasefire is a grant-driven initiative launched in 13 Virginian cities that Miyares calls one of his greatest achievements. The initiative funds a combination of prevention, interventions, and prosecution strategies targeted at violent repeat offenders.

Miyares stated that “we saw a 66% decrease in the murder rates across the 13 cities.” Virginia’s murder rate dropped by a third. Also, we saw a decrease in overdoses — because fentanyl sellers are being removed from the streets .”

He insists that the program is based on listening sessions he held with community leaders and police officers in various parts of the state. “Roughly 5 percent of felons are responsible for over half of violent crimes. You can lower crime by targeting this small subset .”

Even so, maintaining the initiative could be difficult in light of budgetary conflicts. Miyares admitted that he wished Operation Ceasefire could be expanded to other cities, hinting at a mixed local response. I wish more Commonwealth’s Attorneys would listen to my plea to listen to the victims. Too many people haven’t .”

Miyares, when asked if his office had done enough to combat police misconduct, pointed to a 2023 settlement he reached with the Town Windsor where officers unlawfully stopped a Black Army Lieutenant and threatened him.

He said that you can support law enforcement while still demanding accountability. “They are the only ones who have a monopoly in violence within our society. They should be held to higher standards .”

He also said that supervision takes time. We want to be thorough. We will get involved if another department crosses this boundary.

This approach hasn’t prevented critics from accusing Miyares that he is too lenient with departments who violate civil rights – an accusation which he categorically rejects. “The facts do not support that claim,” said Miyares.

Miyares is clear, however, that the public’s safety comes first. He said, “I won’t support a criminal first and victim last mindset.” We’ve heard much about reform but you rarely hear the word “victim” in these debates. This ends with me .”

Take on corporations

Miyares also oversaw a wave settlements, which he believes bring about real changes to communities.

He said that he had secured more than $1.3 billion in opioid manufacturer and distributor payments. He said that some of the money helped to open a 75 bed inpatient treatment facility in Galax – “the first in a 100 mile radius”.

To ensure transparency and tailoring to local needs, he stressed that the money was managed by Virginia’s Opioid Abatement Authority (VAAA), not his office. What works in Fairfax might not work in Galax. This is the biggest influx of funding for treatment in state history .”

Miyares cites an 80 million dollar settlement with Monsanto for PCB pollution, as well as a number of other actions including prosecutions against illegal landfills, and the remediation and cleanup of oil spills, and raw sewage discharges. He said that the environmental law section was very active. “We are thorough, we are relentless, and the people’s protector .”

This populist attitude extends to corporations. Miyares brags about taking on both utility giants and Washington Commanders. He said that the $1.3m settlement was more than D.C. or Maryland combined.

In 2023, he negotiated changes in Dominion Energy’s offshore wind plan. He said, “We convinced them to share the $3 billion risk with us instead of putting it all on ratepayers.” “Before we came along, Virginians had to pay 100% of the cost .”

His critics, however, say that his record in housing and regulation has been mixed. Miyares says that protecting property doesn’t mean that civil rights can’t be enforced.

He said, “I don’t think they are mutually exclusive.” “We obtained the largest housing discrimination award in Virginia history — $750,000 for two families who were evicted from their home because one of them was Black. We’re holding bad actors accountable without overregulating .”

Elections, energy, and political calculations

Miyares created an Election Integrity Unit early in his tenure to ensure that voter lists are accurate. The unit was launched in September 2022 without any new funding. Its mission is to investigate election law violations and safeguard voting integrity. The unit issued a successful cease-and-desist order against misleading mailers from Look Ahead America, which was upheld by the federal appeals court.

The only prosecution that was notable — a misdemeanor/felony case against former Prince William County Register Michele White — fell apart after prosecutors dropped the charges due to inconsistent witnesses.

Although Miyares hails the unit’s importance in preventing voter fraud, there has not been any actual fraud identified.

I can name several Virginia elections that were decided by just a few votes. He said that it should be easy to cast a ballot and hard to cheat. “I can’t get a library membership without a photo ID.” Voter ID does not cause controversy .”

Miyares did not commit in the interview to refrain from prosecuting those voters who were registered by mistake. He noted that voting knowingly as a non citizen could still lead to legal action. He said that if voters go to the polls knowing they are not citizens, they will be prosecuted.

Miyares and Youngkin have repeatedly questioned Virginia’s links to California’s environment standards, especially on electric vehicles.

He said that tying ourselves to California was a foolish errand. “Their air board is dictating their regulations. The average EV is $68,000. This is a tax on Virginians of working class .”

Virginia should not be reliant on intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar, but instead expand its baseload capacity. I want my electric bills to drop. If we tie ourselves to California, they will go up .”

Miyares, despite this skepticism about climate enforcement, defended his record, which includes recent court victories on solar and wind permits. “We’re enforcing laws — we just won’t surrender to mandates that harm working people .”

Miyares also makes “second chances” an important talking point by holding job fairs to help formerly incarcerated Virginians. He remains sceptical of criminal justice reforms that include eliminating mandatory minimums.

He said, “They are an effective tool.” “They help us catch violent repeat offenders, and keep them away from the streets .”

He said that the focus of justice reform should be on victims.

Too many of these discussions leave out victims completely. They’ve experienced trauma, they’ve given testimony under oath to strangers in a courtroom, and they deserve assurance that the system will protect them .”

Miyares responded simply to the question of whether he supported the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, John Reid. His campaign had been embroiled in controversy earlier this spring.

Miyares, who is looking forward to the election of 2025, said that he was most proud of the drop in the death rate from fentanyl deaths in the state – 46%, which is more than twice the national average. He said, “Virginians are alive today thanks to our work.”

He said that if re-elected, he would expand Operation Ceasefire, and continue to press the commonwealth attorneys to prioritize victims.

“I’ve said it before: I won’t support a criminal-first, victim-last mindset. “I find it incredible that when we have these wonderful discussions about criminal justice, you never hear the word victims,” Miyares stated.

“I will never accept a situation where I would deny the voices of victims.”