Tom Jones (Pennsylvania politician)

Tom Jones is an American politician currently representing the 98th district of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as a Republican.[1]

Tom Jones
Member of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 98th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byDavid Hickernell
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseRochelle M. Jones
ResidenceEast Donegal Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Alma materLancaster Catholic High School

Early life

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Jones graduated from the Lancaster Catholic High School in 1992. Jones self-employed himself in his landscaping business.[1][2]

Political career

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Jones first became involved in politics when he was elected the East Donegal Township supervisor.[2] He ran for the 98th district following the retirement of David Hickernell and would defeat two other candidates in the primary.[3] He would go on to defeat Democrat Mark Temons, a tradesman and small business owner, and Libertarian Josh Gerber, by a 27-point margin.[2][4]

Political positions

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Abortion and birth control

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Jones opposes abortion and is in favor of banning it in the state of Pennsylvania.[5] He opposes requiring health insurance companies to cover birth control.[6]

Gun control

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Jones opposes gun control measures, including background checks. As of October 2024, he had an "A" rating and endorsement from the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF).[7][8]

LGBT rights

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Jones opposes same-sex marriage,[9] supports restricting transgender student atheletes to participating on the team of their biological sex, and supports banning discussion of LGBT topics and books covering such in Pennsylvania schools.[5][10]

Voting rights

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Jones opposes Governor Josh Shapiro's automatic voter registration program, and a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by Jones and others to eliminate the program. He supports making it mandatory for every voter to show an ID before voting, and is in favor of banning mail-in ballots.[5][11]

Election results

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2022

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PA House election, 2022 Republican Primary:
Pennsylvania House, District 98[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Jones 5,935 50.25
Republican Lu Ann Fahndrich 3,292 27.87
Republican Faith Bucks 2,566 21.73
Margin of victory 2,643 22.38
Turnout 11,793 100
PA House election, 2022:
Pennsylvania House, District 98[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Tom Jones 18,910 61.87  4.74
Democratic Mark Temons 10,718 35.07  1.68
Libertarian Joshua Gerber 937 3.06  3.06
Margin of victory 8,192 26.8  6.42
Turnout 30,565 100

2024

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PA House election, 2024 Republican Primary:
Pennsylvania House, District 98[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Tom Jones 5,646 98.79  48.54
Republican Write-in 69 1.21
Margin of victory 5,577 97.58  75.2
Turnout 5,715 100
PA House election, 2024:
Pennsylvania House, District 98
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Tom Jones
Democratic Lynn McCleary
Margin of victory
Turnout

References

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  1. ^ a b "Tom Jones". Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Urie, Daniel (9 November 2022). "Township supervisor wins seat held by Rep. Hickernell for 2 decades". The Patriot-News. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Primary Returns Totals". Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  4. ^ WALKER, CARTER (20 October 2022). "98th Legislative District: GOP's Jones favored to win seat, Temons and Gerber face uphill battles". LNP. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Willison, Nathan (2024-10-09). "Republican state Rep. Tom Jones faces Democratic challenger in 98th District [Voters Guide]". LancasterOnline. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  6. ^ "Vote Smart | Facts For All". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  7. ^ "NRA-PVF - Grades - Pennsylvania". NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Vote Smart | Facts For All". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  9. ^ "Vote Smart | Facts For All". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  10. ^ White, Jaxon (2024-01-08). "God, guns and reptiles: State Rep. Tom Jones brings passion and unusual interest to first year". LancasterOnline. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  11. ^ "The Issues – Tom Jones". Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  12. ^ "Election Results".