Gary Click keeps whining about news coverage after his weakest election win

Five days after winning a fourth term in the Ohio House with the weakest general-election vote share of his career, state Rep. Gary Click is again attacking the media, alleging that a Chicago-based “dark money blog” published more than 100 “negative and deceptive articles” about him this year.

Click did not name TiffinOhio.net in Sunday’s Facebook post, but he has repeatedly attacked the outlet by name and invoked its parent company’s Chicago connection. Days earlier, as TiffinOhio.net reported, he called Seneca County Democrats “disgraceful and disgusting” and the publication a “fake news blog.” In a separate post, he alleged that “dark money from Chicago” had been used against him. His latest accusation identified no specific deceptive article and offered no evidence of the funding he alleged.

The Sunday post, accompanied by an AI-generated portrait of Click smiling in front of the Ohio Statehouse, accused some Democrats of spreading “nasty and false personal smears.” Click complained that 15% of his legislation received disproportionate attention.

“Some people are asking, What now?” Click wrote. “Personally, I will continue doing what I have done.” The statement continued the attacks he began immediately after the Nov. 3 election, when he publicly set aside his self-described “usual practice of being gracious” in victory to assail Democrats and news coverage of his campaign.

A narrow primary and a weaker November showing

In Sunday’s post, Click described his victory over Democrat Aaron Jones as a “healthy 17 point margin.” The unofficial election returns show he defeated Jones 23,930 to 16,927, or 58.57% to 41.43%. His vote share fell eight percentage points from 2024 and was the lowest of his four general-election performances. The Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee provided $92,765.80 in advertising and printing support to his campaign before the general election, according to pre-election campaign-finance filings.

That followed a Republican primary victory by just 599 votes over first-time candidate and conspiracy theorist Eric Watson, who won Seneca County and took 47.72% of the two-county GOP vote. In February, The Toledo Blade reported on a recording in which Watson asserted that data centers could harvest people’s conscious thoughts while awake and unconscious thoughts while asleep.

A campaign record of false claims

Click’s latest allegations come after a series of his own public claims were contradicted by records or disputed directly by the people and organizations involved. In August, he falsely accused Jones, Seneca County Democratic Party Chair Gina Grandillo and Fremont City Councilwoman Angie Ruiz of donating to Watson’s Republican primary campaign. Watson’s campaign-finance filings showed that none of the three had contributed. Click deleted the accusation and acknowledged that his post had been “made in error,” but his correction omitted their names.

Earlier, Click’s campaign claimed the support of Tiffin City Councilman Kevin Roessner, who said he had made no endorsement. Click also accused the League of Women Voters of the Tiffin Area of excluding him from a March candidates forum; the organization released an invitation timeline showing repeated attempts to secure his participation. Click, a former community theater actor, had quietly stepped down as pastor of Fremont Baptist Temple in March 2025 after 19 years. When TiffinOhio.net reported the departure the following February, he disputed the description of his exit as quiet. We found no public announcement, and his official House biography confirms that he became pastor emeritus.

Final House term and a possible Senate campaign

Click’s coming term, beginning in January, will be his last consecutive term in the House under Ohio’s constitutional term limits. He was first elected in 2020, and the state permits no more than four successive two-year House terms.

A source familiar with Click’s political thinking told TiffinOhio.net, speaking on condition of anonymity, that Click plans to run for the 26th District seat in the Ohio Senate in 2028. Click has not publicly announced a Senate campaign.

The seat is currently held by Republican Bill Reineke, who is serving his second and final consecutive four-year Senate term. District 26 includes Sandusky and Seneca counties, along with Crawford, Marion, Morrow, Union and Wyandot counties. A Senate campaign would put Click’s record before voters in five counties outside the House district where he just survived two unusually difficult elections.