Jones kicks off House campaign

TIFFIN — Tiffin City Councilmember Aaron Jones officially launched his campaign for Ohio's 88th House District on Thursday evening at Reino's Catering & Party Room in Downtown Tiffin, drawing a crowd of supporters from across the district. Jones, a U.S. Army veteran and production supervisor at Toledo Molding & Die, is running as a Democrat to represent Seneca and Sandusky counties in the Ohio House. According to a campaign press release, Jones has been with Toledo Molding & Die for more than 20 years and served with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, during his military service. He lives in Tiffin with his wife Tracy and has four grandchildren. "I'm not running because I've been planning a political career," Jones said at Thursday's event. "I'm running because the people in this district deserve someone in Columbus who actually understands what it's like to clock in every day, make ends meet, and fight for your family. That's the life I've lived, and that's who I'll fight for." Jones spoke at the event about priorities including local public schools, working families, water, and infrastructure. Those themes are consistent with positions he outlined to The Advertiser-Tribune in January, when he identified school funding and affordable housing as primary challenges facing constituents in the district. He argued at the time that when the state does not fully fund schools, the financial burden shifts to local property owners through levies. Jones is running unopposed in the May 5 Democratic primary. He will face the winner of the Republican primary contest between incumbent Rep. Gary Click and challenger Eric Watson in the November 3 general election, as The Advertiser-Tribune previously reported.