TIFFIN, Ohio — With the May 5 primary in the rearview mirror, the general election for Ohio House District 88 is set: three-term Republican incumbent Gary Click of Vickery will face Democrat Aaron Jones of Tiffin on November 3.

For voters in Seneca and Sandusky counties — and for anyone watching this corner of Northwest Ohio from elsewhere in the state — here’s a closer look at the Democratic nominee.

Rooted in Northwest Ohio

Jones was born in Tiffin, raised just outside Green Springs, and graduated from Clyde High School in 1991. He has spent most of his adult life in Seneca and Sandusky counties, the same two-county footprint he is now asking to represent in Columbus.

“I am a husband, father, grandfather, U.S. Army veteran, and factory supervisor who’s spent over 20 years on the line at Toledo Molding & Die in Tiffin,” Jones wrote in his Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey in January. “I’m running for Ohio State Representative in the 88th District — all of Seneca and Sandusky counties — because I know what it’s like to work hard, make ends meet, and fight for your family.”

Four years in the Old Guard

After high school, Jones enlisted in the U.S. Army and served four years as an Airborne Infantryman with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment — The Old Guard, the Army’s oldest active-duty infantry unit and its official ceremonial regiment, headquartered at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall outside Washington, D.C. The Old Guard provides the military funeral escorts at Arlington National Cemetery and serves as the official escort to the President of the United States.

Jones served from 1991 to 1995, according to his Ballotpedia filing. In March 2026, the national veterans organization VoteVets endorsed Jones, citing his record of service and his commitment to continued public service.

“Serving in the Army taught me that leadership means responsibility, discipline, and showing up for the people who depend on you,” Jones said in response to the endorsement. “Those are the same values I’ll bring to Columbus as I work to represent the people of Seneca and Sandusky counties.”

Two decades on the factory floor

Jones returned to Tiffin in 2006 and built a career at Toledo Molding & Die, the auto-parts manufacturer that operates a plant in the city. Now in his third decade with the company, he works as a production supervisor — overseeing the shift floor, not the executive suite.

“Most politicians in Columbus have never spent a day on a factory floor. I have,” Jones said in his January campaign announcement. “I know what it’s like to worry about healthcare bills, grocery prices, and whether your kids will be able to stay and build a future here. That perspective matters.”

That working-class biography is the through line of Jones’s campaign. At his April 16 kickoff at Reino’s Catering & Party Room in downtown Tiffin, Jones told supporters: “I’m not running because I’ve been planning a political career. 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.”

A family man in Tiffin

Jones lives in Tiffin with his wife Tracy. The couple raised a blended family of five boys, and they are now grandparents to four grandchildren — all growing up in the same community where Jones spent his own childhood.

That continuity — same hometown, same plant, same community — is something Jones leans into when he talks about why he is running. He frequently frames the race not as a career move but as another form of service.

“Service doesn’t end when you take off the uniform,” Jones said. “I’m running to continue serving my community and to make sure the people of this district have a strong voice in Columbus.”

From city council to the Statehouse

In 2023, Jones was elected to Tiffin City Council representing the city’s 1st Ward — his first run for elected office. On council, he has focused on neighborhood-level issues including local jobs, public safety, infrastructure, and direct constituent access to local government.

He has also been a visible local voice on environmental concerns affecting Seneca County. At a March 19 candidate forum in Tiffin — which incumbent Gary Click did not attend — Jones spoke about residents who have brought concerns to Tiffin City Council about the Seneca Poultry CAFO and the neighboring Sunny Farms Landfill, which accepts out-of-state waste.

What he’s running on

Jones’s campaign platform, as outlined on his campaign website, centers on seven priorities:

  • Lower costs for working families, including utility bills and property taxes
  • Good jobs and safe communities
  • Affordable and accessible healthcare
  • Roads, bridges, and broadband infrastructure
  • Strong public schools
  • Helping seniors age in place with dignity
  • Support for veterans

“My agenda is simple,” Jones writes on his campaign site: “doing what’s best for the hardworking people of the 88th District. I’ll fight to bring down costs — like utility bills and property taxes — protect and attract good-paying jobs, and hold Columbus accountable to Seneca and Sandusky counties.”

He said he will “put the 88th District first — not party leaders or corporate donors.” Jones has also pledged to not take campaign contributions from corporate PACs.

The road to November

Jones ran unopposed in the May 5 Democratic primary and is now the party’s nominee for the general election. He will face Gary Click, who survived a competitive Republican primary against Tiffin entrepreneur Eric Watson by 599 votes — losing Seneca County to Watson by 8.5 percentage points but holding his home county of Sandusky by 15.4 points.

The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Learn more

More information about Jones and his campaign is available at www.jonesforohio.com. Voters can also follow the campaign on Facebook at facebook.com/JonesForOhio.