By: Kelly Garrity
Micah Jones, an attorney and Army veteran, is launching his campaign for Congress in Massachusetts’ 6th District this morning — and while he’s entering the race as a Republican, he’s doing his best to leave the partisan label out of it.
The first-time candidate from Essex is framing his launch around frustration with Washington, not party politics.
“Our problems aren’t caused by Democrats or Republicans,” Jones says in his launch video. “They’re the result of career politicians in Washington who have forgotten working people and those striving toward the American dream.”
Jones doesn’t mention his party affiliation in his roughly 90-second launch video. Instead, he’s painting his campaign as one focused on affordability and national security. He’s also calling for term limits and a ban on stock trading for members of Congress, an effort that’s seen tepid support from electeds in D.C.
The bipartisan tone may be a byproduct of his upbringing. Jones grew up in a politically split household — with a mother who was a Democrat and a Republican father — a dynamic former Gov. Charlie Baker often cited in explaining his own moderate brand.
A California native, Jones came to Massachusetts to pursue a law degree at Northeastern University through the GI bill after earning a Bronze Star his military services — a résumé that, at least on paper, mirrors that of the district’s current congressman, Seth Moulton. He most recently worked as a litigation associate at the Boston-based law firm Morgan Lewis.
Jones is the first Republican to officially enter the race for the North Shore seat that Moulton is giving up to challenge Sen. Ed Markey for Senate.