Maine gubernatorial candidate David Jones (R) is getting a different kind of campaign boost, this time from his daughter.
Lauren Jones has launched a TikTok account, @MyDad4Maine, aimed at giving voters a more personal, behind-the-scenes look at her father as he runs for governor.
Instead of relying on traditional campaign messaging, the account features short videos and stories from Lauren’s perspective as his daughter. The posts highlight decades of family life, fun facts, old photos, and everyday moments that she says reveal a side of David Jones many voters have not yet had the chance to see.
Lauren said the idea came after months of watching online conversations about her father that, in her view, failed to capture the full picture.
“I kept seeing comments from people who clearly didn’t know him,” Jones said. “After a while, I realized that the best way to respond wasn’t arguing in comment sections, it was simply showing people who he actually is.”
The account’s tone is intentionally different from most political content online. Rather than polished campaign-style messaging, the videos focus on moments Lauren says reflect her father’s character, including his care for children, family sayings such as “Can’t does not exist in the Jones vocabulary,” and written reflections about the values he holds dear.
Those values, she said, include simple things like getting vitamin D from the sun and his affection for Northern Maine, which he repeatedly calls “God’s Country.”
Some of the posts also lean into humor. One tells the story of how, after being told he resembled Alan Rickman, David Jones began dressing as Severus Snape for his grandchildren each Halloween. Lauren said her father laughed when he learned the Snape post had drawn more than 150,000 views.
Other videos offer nostalgic glimpses through vintage photographs and music. Lauren said she carefully selects songs for each post, often choosing classic rock and nostalgic tracks from the 1990s as a subtle nod to a cherished period when the family lived in Embden, Maine, on the river.
“This isn’t a campaign consultant’s idea,” she explained. “It was my idea. I had a lot of pent-up things I wanted to say, and this became my way of expressing how my father treats people, how he shows up for them, and the kind of character he has when nobody is watching. I thought if people could see even a small part of that, they might understand why so many of us believe in him.”
This account also reflects the growing role social media platforms like TikTok play in modern politics, where voters increasingly encounter candidates through personal storytelling rather than traditional advertising.
Lauren said one early moment reinforced the idea for her. After only her third post, she said, a waitress at a restaurant in Bangor recognized her father from the videos and spoke to him with a sense of familiarity. She said that interaction encouraged her to keep going.
“Maine voters care about authenticity,” she said. “They want to know who someone actually is, not just what a campaign tells them.”
Lauren said she has spent her entire life seeing the many sides of her father.
“I’ve spent my whole life seeing the multifaceted person he is,” she said. “Strong and determined when it matters, but also someone who intentionally leaves the tree up to make Christmas year-round at his house and values the simple things in life.”
She also acknowledged that creating the account has brought new attention in her own life.
“As someone whose real estate career depends on working with people from every background and belief, becoming more open about my politics has been challenging,” Jones said. “But as I mentioned in my remarks at the State House last week, a series of events over the past few years, from political violence to losing friendships over differing views, has strengthened my convictions. At a certain point, you worry less about approval and more about being honest about what you believe. And what I believe in most is my father.”
Lauren said the account will continue sharing short stories, family moments, and reflections throughout the campaign.
“I’m not trying to convince anyone through political arguments,” she said. “I just thought that if people could see my dad the way I’ve seen him my whole life, they could make their own decision.”
For more information, follow the TikTok account MyDad4Maine.
