Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares confirmed on Thursday a $2.8 million media campaign to support Operation Ceasefire, the campaign he began in 2022 to lower gun violence throughout the commonwealth.
A trailer for the attorney general’s campaign, posted to YouTube last month, reveals an upcoming “public awareness and media campaign” titled Ceasefire Virginia. Miyares intends to reach “young people who may be considering gang or violent criminal activity” by targeting them on social media.
Miyares intends to capitalize off the popularity of the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, and timed his original trailer to coincide with the release of a trailer for the series’ upcoming installment.
“These campaigns will focus on communicating the real and lasting consequences of gun violence through social media, television commercials, billboards, and other forms of media to Virginians in our ceasefire cities,” according to a statement from Miyares’ office.
Miyares confirmed the media campaign to 7 News on Thursday, insisting, “You can’t understate the level of influence a media campaign can have on changing behavior.”
“Every single bit of market research on how television commercials and media works is repetition and that’s why the primary driver of this message is not going to be me. It’s going to be a third party on camera. I’m on camera a very very brief time,” Miyares told the outlet.
Linking the media blitz to Grant Theft Auto, the attorney general reportedly explained, “We knew it was a popular video game” with “young people in that 18 to 28, 29-year-old demographic” and timed the campaign accordingly. The game is scheduled for release in 2025.
Miyares is widely expected to launch a gubernatorial campaign in 2025, as Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) will be ineligible to seek another term.
Early last year, pollsters conducted a survey questioning whether Virginia Republicans would prefer Miyares or Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. Earle-Sears handily won the poll by more than 30 percent, but if Operation Ceasefire is successful, it could improve Miyares’ odds in the commonwealth.
Polling released on Wednesday found crime is the most important issue among Virginia Republicans, with 76 percent identifying it as their number one concern. It was identified as the second most important concern among Virginia’s independent voters, with 61 percent of respondents saying they want crime reduced.
Virginia Democrats, however, specifically told pollsters their top concern was reducing gun violence.
In a press conference last year where the attorney general was joined by law enforcement, Miyares warned “we are simply not going to be able to arrest our way out of this.”
He outlined a plan to target repeat offenders, empower law enforcement, and help young people avoid “the siren call of an illegal activity.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares” by Jason Miyares.
