Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is central element the political life of Ohio Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery). He usually cites HB 68 – a bill prohibiting minors from receiving gender-affirming care – v interviewson social media and on the campaign trail.
Councilor Tiffin, Army veteran and factory supervisor Aaron Jones wants to strip Click of his seat in the mid-term elections, which will take place on Tuesday, November 3. Jones ran unopposed in the May primary to secure the Democratic nomination for a conservative-leaning district.
In an interview with The Buckeye Flame, Jones said he wants to push for fiscal responsibility, move away from the culture wars, and believes that “representing everyone should be the goal of every politician.”
Although his campaign website makes no mention of the LGBTQ+ community – like the website of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton – he received a B rating from an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Equality in Ohio candidate scorecard. Josh Meek, Ohio’s statewide advocacy manager for Equal Opportunities, said Jones supports the Ohio Fairness Act, which protects queer Ohioans from workplace discrimination based on gender and sexual identity.
Jones’ campaign is named after the Ohio Democratic Party received a “record investment” According to the Statehouse News Bureau, Democratic National Committee (DNC).
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
THE FLAME: What made you want to run for Gary Click’s [current] position?
JONES: I’ve been a councilor in Tiffin for three years. What they do at the state level affects us. From talking to many people, there is a lot of dissatisfaction with what is happening in Columbus, especially in the 88th district.
I just felt it was a good time to run, a good time to make changes in this district.
Was there any conversation that was particularly memorable for you?
There have been several conversations between other members of the Democratic Party and independent members of the community and just listening to their level of frustration.
And then I was asked if [running was] something I would be interested in and I definitely, definitely was interested.
Oh, so you were asked to run by someone in the local Democratic Party?
No, no, no, no, no. NO.
Oh, OK.
They suggested or said, “Hey, you, you should think about this.”
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Yes. To be specific, no, they didn’t do it.
You talked about dissatisfaction. Has anything changed over these few years?
I think so. I think there has definitely been a change in the last few years. People in this district are struggling financially. That’s really the driving force behind a lot of them. People feel like their leadership is leaving them behind in pursuit of other priorities.
What do you want to do to alleviate this?
Studying at school is very essential to me. Ohio Fair School Funding Plan was not followed for many years, and our schools are feeling the crisis very much. I think that’s one of my main goals.
But I’m also for fair property taxes. I think this needs to be addressed. Not eliminating property taxes – not that, but fair. There is a lot of concern among people about property taxes just go up whenever they want it.
And this shouldn’t happen.
How does your background fit into your political ambitions?
There’s really no one in my family who is involved in politics. The military probably pushed me in that direction. My military experience led me towards the City Council here in Tiffin, simply wanting to serve the community, a community that I enjoy [and] who I care about very much.
[I want to] try to make it a better place to live and work for everyone.
So an essential thing that Gary Click often mentions on the campaign trail or in interviews is his role in HB 68, the SAFE Act, which he authored. Much of his attention seems to be focused on anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. What do you think?
Does this seem right to you… I know these are probably not the right priorities…
Well, exactly. I’m not against Gary Click belief. I’m going against his… You know, his priorities are wrong.
He spent, what, six years? So far, six years in Columbus in culture wars where people are suffering. They worry about their paycheck, they worry about their taxes, and I think the people of this district care more about their wallets than the culture wars.
So how do you think your policies will support or impact your LGBTQ+ voters?
Well, that’s… I’m not running for any one group. I run for everyone. Everyone in the 88th district. So I can tell you this: I would never vote for something that would hurt one group of people and enrich another. I don’t believe it.
I believe that as an elected official, you represent everyone regardless of how you feel about them, whether they are Republican, Democrat, Independent, the LGBTQ+ community, regardless of religion. I believe it is the responsibility of an elected official to represent everyone and look out for the well-being of everyone.
This is the goal. This should be the goal of every politician. And I feel like there are many of them, many of them have forgotten.
Have you talked to organizations that serve different groups of people? For example, not only LGBTQ+ organizations, but also those serving BIPOC populations [and others]about what they might want to see from you after your time in Congress?
No, but my door is open. My door is always open to everyone in the district.
This includes the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, and everyone. I’ll talk to anyone. My door is always open. And like I said, you know, I want to represent everyone.
One of the things we saw is the disappearance of many mentions of LGBTQ+ politics from candidate websites or platforms. I notice that there is no mention of LGBTQ+ people on your website.
When talking to queer people, some of them feel left out because Democratic candidates do not mention LGBTQ+ people in their campaign platform. How do you react to this?
I hope no one will feel left out. My intention is to never leave anyone behind.
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And it’s certainly not something that I stand for or that I don’t want to leave anyone out. I am definitely 100% against discrimination against any human being, regardless of who they are or what their skin color is, you know?
I would like to hear what everyone expects, what their expectations are, what they would like to improve in their lives.
Should Democrats put more pressure on highlighting LGBTQ+ people?
This is a challenging question. I’m not sure. I’m not 100% sure how to answer this. I think it’s… Possible? I know I’m focused on everyone, so-
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Yeah… I don’t think I’m singling out any particular group.
I’m just paying attention to every resident of the 88th district. I can’t comment on what other Democratic candidates are doing. But that’s my goal. This is what I have been guided by so far and will continue to do so throughout this campaign.
I know this is a challenging question and I really appreciate you answering it. What have you heard from voters in your campaign so far?
I’m actually incredibly surprised. I hear a lot of good things, a lot of positive reactions about where I am and what I believe. I know I’m climbing a mountain here. But that’s okay. Someone needs to do this to try and change what’s going on, but so far everything has been very positive.
Correct me if I’m wrong. I don’t think your district has elected a Democratic official in a long time, right?
I want to say, God, it must be 35 years? 34 years?
Do you feel there is now a chance for the Democratic candidate to win the 88th district?
I do. Really. I think people were fed up with Mr. Click, who focused more on personal issues than on behalf of the people.
You mentioned the Fairness Act, which I support 100%. I think it’s actually on my website. [Jones’ website has no mention of the Fairness Act.] But it’s something I strongly support and can’t understand why it hasn’t been adopted. 🔥
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