Paul Michael Jones (born ) is an American politician presently a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, Jones has represented the 93rd District since 2019.

Early life and education

Jones was born in

York County, Pennsylvania York County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Yarrick Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster ...

, and grew up in Dallastown. He graduated from Dallastown Area High School in 1987, and earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in electronic engineering technology from

DeVry University DeVry University () is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Naperville, Illinois. It was founded in 1931 by Herman A. DeVry and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. DeVry is predominantly an online educator but ...

in 1991.

Business career

In 1994, Jones began working for St. Onge, a supply chain logistics company based in

York, Pennsylvania York ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populati ...

. He was named president of the company in 2006. Jones served as president of St. Onge until his retirement in 2017.

Political career

Jones served briefly served on the board of the

Dallastown Area School District The Dallastown Area School District is a large, suburban, public school district serving the Boroughs of Dallastown, Jacobus, Loganville, and Yoe and Springfield Township and York Township in York County, Pennsylvania. The district cover ...

, having been elected in 2017, and resigning in 2019. His resignation came after he was elected to the

in 2018. Jones believed serving on both the school board and in the State House would constitute a conflict of interest. Jones was first elected to represent the 93rd District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, winning re-election in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

and

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

. In 2020, Jones founded the Economic Growth Caucus, made up of state representatives with backgrounds in business, Jones defined the group's purpose as promoting economic growth. Upon its founding Jones was made chairman of the caucus. Jones opposed mitigation and lockdown measures imposed by Governor

Tom Wolf Thomas Westerman Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 guber ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He claimed the economic impact of shutting down businesses to combat the spread of COVID would be "killing and devastating more lives than COVID ever will." He participated in the "Reopen Pennsylvania" rally outside the state capitol building, where protestors demanded Governor Wolf repeal lockdowns measures. In 2020, Jones was among 26 Pennsylvania House Republicans who called for the reversal of Joe Biden's certification as the winner of Pennsylvania's electoral votes in the

2020 United States presidential election The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Ha ...

, citing false claims of election irregularities. In 2022, Republican leadership removed Jones from three of his four committee assignments after he endorsed Joe D'Orsie and Wendy Fink in their primary challenges against incumbent Representatives

Keith Gillespie Keith Robert Gillespie (born 18 February 1975) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who plays as a winger for FC Mindwell in the Mid-Ulster Football League. He began his career at Manchester United after winning the FA Youth ...

and

Stan Saylor Stanley E. "Stan" Saylor (born March 3, 1953) is a Republican former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 94th District and was first elected in 1992. After the 2008 election, Saylor was elected the Republican Policy Comm ...

, respectively. Jones said his decision to endorse the two challengers wasn't personal but "business" because Gillespie and Saylor didn't oppose COVID shutdowns. In response to his support for D'Orsie and Fink, the York County Republican Committee attempted to

censure A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spir ...

Jones. The censure vote reportedly failed, according to Jones. Both D'Orsie and Fink were successful in defeating the incumbent representatives. Jones became a founding member of the Pennsylvania State Freedom Caucus in late 2022 alongside twenty-two other Republicans in the State House.

Personal life

Jones married his wife Julie (née Anderson) in 1992. The couple have four adoptive children from Russia.

Electoral history

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Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, , Michael Jones , align="right" , 1,697 , align="right" , 98.95 , -

References

External links

Official Web Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Mike Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 21st-century American legislators Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Politicians from York County, Pennsylvania DeVry University alumni School board members in Pennsylvania 21st-century Pennsylvania politicians