Miyares was born on February 11,1976,in Greensboro,North Carolina. He attended public schools in Virginia Beach.[2] His mother,Miryam Miyares,fled from Cuba in 1965.[3][4] His brothers are Bryan Redding,a commercial cinematographer and the late Steven Marcus Miyares,a Virginia criminal defense attorney.[5]
Miyares worked on George Allen's 2000 Senate campaign.[9] He was campaign manager and advisor to Republican Scott Rigell in the 2010 and 2012 congressional elections.[8][10] Miyares worked as a prosecutor in the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.[11] He was later a partner with the consulting firm Madison Strategies.[8] He also worked at the Virginia Beach law firm Hanger Law until his election to the office of Attorney General.[12]
Virginia House of Delegates
In 2015,Miyares ran for the Virginia House of Delegates' seat being vacated by Bill DeSteph,who ran successfully for the Virginia State Senate. Unopposed in the June 2015 Republican primary,he defeated Democrat Bill Fleming in the November 2015 general election.[13] He was the first Cuban American elected to the Virginia General Assembly.[3] He was reelected in 2017 and 2019.[14] He served on three committees:General Laws,Courts of Justice,and Transportation.[15] Miyares also served on the Virginia Board of Veterans Services and as Chairman of the Commission on Equal Opportunity for Virginians in Aspiring and Diverse Communities.[15] Miyares was the 2018 and 2019 "Legislator of the Year" by the College of Affordability and Public Trust and 2018 "Legislator of the Year" by the Hampton Roads Military Officers Association.[15] In 2019,he received the "Action Award" by the Safe House Project.[15]
In November 2018,an amendment proposal from Miyares was placed into the Constitution of Virginia that allows spouses of veterans with disabilities who have died to receive a full property tax exemption on the home they live in if they choose to relocate.[19] In August 2019,Miyares offered HB 4031,a red flag law bill.[20] Miyares believes his "bill has a balance of due process and constitutional rights while keeping guns out of the hands of those who can be dangerous due to mental health."[20] In October 2019,Miyares said he planned to reintroduce "legislation that would allow the state to work directly with the Army Corps of Engineers on large flooding mitigation projects."[21]
Miyares authored two bills in 2019 that became law:one that allowed public colleges and universities to offer scholarships for students in foster care and another that required public colleges and universities to hold a public comment period at Board of Visitors (BOV) meetings when tuition increases were proposed.[21] In March 2020,Miyares opposed legislation to increase the minimum wage in Virginia.[22] In August 2020,he offered HB 5037,a bill that would grant immunity,except in cases of willful misconduct or gross negligence,to public officials and businesses who followed public health measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.[23] In September 2020,Miyares voted against legislation to authorize local governments to remove Confederate monuments on public property.[24]
Miyares opposes abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy,with exceptions in cases of rape,incest,and protecting the life of the mother;he supports maintaining access to the commonly used abortion pill mifepristone and opposes prosecuting people for abortions.[25][26] Miyares supports the death penalty,and opposed the decision to abolish capital punishment in Virginia in February 2021.[27][28]
In May 2021, Miyares was nominated as the Republican candidate for Virginia Attorney General. He ran against Mark Herring, the incumbent Democratic attorney general, who sought a third term in the November 2021 general election.[25][29] Miyares was selected at the Virginia Republican Party's "unassembled" convention, in which party delegates cast ranked-choice ballots at polling sites across the state.[29] Miyares defeated three other candidates: Leslie Haley, Chuck Smith, and Jack White.[29] In the final round, Miyares defeated Smith, a hard-right candidate, by a closer-than-expected margin of 52% to 48%.[30][31]
During his campaign against Herring, Miyares emphasized crime issues.[25] He opposed proposals for the elimination of qualified immunity and declined to take a position on what he would do in the controversial police killing of Bijan Ghaisar.[25] In the November 2021 election, Miyares defeated Herring in a tight race, becoming the first Hispanic and Cuban American to be elected Attorney General of Virginia.[32][33]
Tenure
Miyares, with Governor Glenn Youngkin and other politicians.
Abortion
In January 2022, Miyares withdrew the Virginia AG Office's brief to the Supreme Court, submitted under his predecessor, supporting a challenge to Mississippi's abortion ban of restricting abortion to 15 weeks.[34]
Miyares supports a 15-week ban on abortion with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. He has stated that he opposes prosecuting people for seeking abortions.[35]
Athletics
In January 2025, Miyares announced a settlement with several states and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that protects a student's name, image, and likeness (NIL) during the recruiting process and permanently bars the NCAA from reinstating its NIL recruiting ban.[36]
COVID-19
In January 2022, Miyares issued an advisory opinion stating that public colleges and universities in Virginia lack the authority to require students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine before enrolling in-person classes. Such advisory opinions are not binding, although at least two institutions (George Mason University and Virginia Tech) dropped their vaccine requirement after Miyares issued the opinion.[37][38]
Elections
On February 10, 2022, Miyares' deputy attorney general for government operations and transactions resigned when it was reported that she had spread misinformation about the 2020 election and praised the 2021 United States Capitol attack; in her position, she would have overseen matters related to future elections in Virginia. Miyares himself has affirmed that Joe Biden was legitimately elected president and has condemned the attack on the United States Capitol.[39][40]
On October 10, 2023, Miyares sent a cease-and-desist letter to a right-wing advocacy group over their misinformation pertaining to the 2023 Virginia elections.[41] Miyares stated, "Misinformation in our elections will not be tolerated in Virginia," and the group conformed to the letter.[41]
On December 29, 2023, Miyares won a case that involved "false and misleading" fliers from being distributed in Virginia elections.[42] Miyares said, "In Virginia, it should be easy to vote and hard to cheat. I’m proud of my Election Integrity Unit for taking action against voter misinformation and intimidation."[42] The fliers falsely attested that "if voters did not cast their ballots they could lose their Social Security income, Medicare eligibility, unemployment benefits, child tax credits, child custody rights, and concealed carry permits."[42]
Electric vehicles
In June 2024, Miyares issued an opinion that allowed Virginia to withdraw from California's zero-emissions regulations at the beginning of 2025.[43] When the opinion was issued, Virginia followed California law on vehicle emission standards instead of the federal standards after the Virginia legislature enacted it in 2021.[43] The California standards force automotive manufacturers to sell at least 35% of their new vehicles as all-electric in 2026 before entirely eliminating the sale of new internal combustion engine (including hybrid) vehicles by 2035.[43] Federal standards state that 70% of new vehicles sold will be either all-electric or hybrid internal combustion engine powered by 2035; in 2024, an estimated 6.5% of new vehicles sold in the United States were zero-emissions.[43]
Elder abuse
In June 2024, Miyares launched an elder abuse investigation center for the Greater Richmond Region after an increase in cases were seen. The center is administered by the Virginia Attorney General's Office and seeks to "streamline collaboration between law enforcement, connect investigators with medical or financial experts who can better solve complex cases, and provide localities with other resources."[44][45][46]
Environment
On September 13, 2023, Miyares announced an $80 million settlement with Monsanto to ameliorate "the environmental contamination in the Commonwealth, which was caused by Monsanto's distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)."[47] According to the settlement, the "funds will be directed toward restitution and remediation efforts... environmental studies, stream restoration projects, improvements to drinking water and wastewater systems, fisheries management, and land remediation efforts."[47]
Gun violence
In 2022, Miyares started a targeted violence intervention initiative, Operation Ceasefire, to crack down on gun violence through "rigorous prosecution and community prevention" in 13 cities. One year after the initiative was started, overall crime dropped in 12 of the 13 cities and violent crime dropped in 9 of the 13 cities, with cities reporting 225 fewer crimes than the previous year.[48][49]
Housing
On March 20, 2025, Miyares secured the largest fair housing jury award in Virginia's history after a jury in Franklin County "awarded $750,000 in damages to two families who were evicted from a Smith Mountain Lake campground after the owner learned one of the family members was Black."[50][51]
On October 2, 2025, Miyares filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Zillow for their $100 million acquisition of Redfin's multifamily rental listing service.[52] Miyares argues that Zillow's acquisition harms Virginia renters searching for available apartments since it decreases the quality of search results.[52]
On April 16, 2024, Miyares announced a $108 million settlement from seven drug manufacturers and retailers for illegally pushing opioids.[57] Miyares praised his Consumer Protection team for negotiating the settlement with Virginia receiving over $1.1 billion in total opioid payouts under his team.[57] According to Miyares, the funds will be used to more "effectively prevent, reduce, and treat addiction at a localized level."[57]
Policing
On September 7, 2023, Miyares reached a settlement with the Town of Windsor, in Isle of Wight County, over its alleged "discriminatory, unconstitutional policing" conduct.[58] Per the settlement, Windsor will have to "submit to an independent third-party review system for use-of-force complaints and other complaints of serious misconduct alleged against any officer."[58] The town police department will also have to "obtain accreditation from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission, raising the bar on its internal investigation processes and officer training."[58]
Rape victims
After the Virginia legislature passed a bill in 2021 that prevented rape victims from knowing the HIV status of their alleged rapists, Miyares successfully lead a bipartisan effort to repeal the law in 2023. Miyares said, "The idea that you would put the rights of the rapists over the rights of the victim is upside down. It's wrong."[59][60]
Retail theft
In 2022, Miyares was directed by the Virginia General Assembly to study retail theft.[61] A report commissioned by Miyares found that $1.3 billion of retail goods were being stolen annually in Virginia, resulting in $80 million less in state sales tax revenue per annum.[61] The report led to Virginia passing a law in 2023 to raise the penalties for organized retail theft, defined as "steal[ing] retail merchandise with a value exceeding $5,000 in a 90-day period, with the intent to sell the stolen goods for profit", from a misdemeanor to a felony.[61]
Staffing
Upon taking office in January 2022, Miyares fired 17 attorneys, and 13 other employees, in the Virginia AG's Office and the counsels for George Mason University (GMU) and the University of Virginia.[62][63][64][65] After the firings, Miyares hired former Commonwealth's Attorney for Arlington County Theo Stamos to lead the conviction integrity unit.[66][67]
Ticket holders
In June 2024, Miyares announced a $1.3 million settlement, including a $600,000 fine, from the Washington Commanders over their prior "unlawful retain[ment] of security deposits" for season ticket holders.[68][69]
Tolls
In January 2024, Miyares issued a statement opposing proposed increased tolls on the privately owned Dulles Greenway.[70] The proposal would increase tolls from $5.25 to $6.40 for one way trips during regular hours and $5.80 to $8.10 for one way trips during peak hours with Miyares calling the proposed hikes an "unreasonable financial burden" for commuters.[70]
Miyares and his wife, Page (née Atkinson) Miyares, have three daughters and live in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[75] His father-in-law, John Atkinson, was formerly treasurer of Virginia Beach.[8] Miyares is a member of the Galilee Episcopal Church and a past President of the Cape Henry Rotary, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow.[6]
References
↑ Miyares, Jason (November 3, 2021). "Jason Miyares". Virginia.gov. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
▌2 Unknown (2 territories) An asterisk (*) indicates that the officeholder is serving in an acting capacity. State abbreviations link to position articles.
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