Micah Jones, a former self-described JFK Democrat-turned-Republican, hopes to capitalize on a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity as he looks to flip Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District."The last time this seat was open was 47 years ago," Jones said."I think that Massachusetts suffers when we have a one-party congressional delegation that, in my opinion, is less inclined to work across the aisle than representatives of other states."Jones’s campaign is a bet that the district’s independent voters — and maybe some Democrats — will see the benefit Massachusetts could reap from having even just one Republican representative.Coupled with the precedent of the occasional Republican success is the Bay State, Jones believes his race can beat past odds and help decide the balance of power in the House of Representatives.LONE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FINDS HIS EDGE AS A DOZEN DEMOCRATS CLASH IN RACE TO REPLACE MIKIE SHERRILLMicah Jones, candidate for Congress in Massachusetts, left, pictured alongside U.S.
Capitol Building, right.(Micah Jones for Congress; Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Before running for Congress, Jones served in the military in the 82nd Airborne Division, deploying on a tour in Afghanistan from 2014 to 2015.
Later, after going to law school, he became an attorney.It was in law school that I began to have doubts about the Democratic Party's direction, describing a "shock" at its trajectory."This was back in 2016.That was kind of the incubator before everything that we've now dealt with the last few years in regards to more progressive ideologies," Jones recalled."In particular, when it came to support for law enforcement — this was during the defund the police movement.
When it came to a worldview that tried to classify people between oppressors and oppressed, I felt that was fundamentally different than President Kennedy's vision.And at that point, I left the Democratic Party, became an independent."Although Jones believes a portion of...