Michigan teen plans to run for nations highest ofce

He has a Web site, a campaign manager, and knows where he stands on the issues.

Jones is just 17.

Yesterday, the Northville High School junior begins a yearlong stint in Washington as one of 66 congressional pages. He'll attend classes in the Library of Congress and deliver legislative material to various buildings on Capitol Hill.

He was nominated for the $1,100-a-month job by U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, (R-Bloomfield Hills).

It is just another step, Jones says, toward capturing the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

His mother, Cheryl Jones, was among the biggest skeptics until she took a phone message for her son in 1996 while doing dishes.

"After Bob Dole's office called, we figured he might really do this," Jones told the Detroit Free Press. Her son "has focused in, has a direction and a timetable.

"Nothing he could do would surprise me - he was born 30 years old."

In kindergarten, Jones liked to dress in a suit when he accompanied his mother to the grocery store. In the second grade, he ran unsuccessfully for the school council. In the fifth grade, he won first place in a school essay contest that asked youngsters what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Jones wrote that he wanted to be president so he could change the world.

While his peers watched MTV, he watched C-SPAN. He solicited autographs and advice from politicians, including former President Gerald Ford, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

While his parents and two younger brothers were sightseeing last year in the nation's capital, Jones met with members of the Senate and House in their offices. On his 16th birthday, he had his picture taken with House Speaker Newt Gingrich, (R-Ga).

"I've always had a passion for politics," said Jones, who heads a 20-member Republican club for Oakland County teens.

Jones opposes term limits and affirmative action. He is anti-abortion and favors campaign-finance reform and the impeachment of President Clinton.

By the time he is ready for his presidential run, Jones figures the major issues likely will be exploration of planets and cloning.

Jones was elected freshman class president but lost in a re-election bid as a sophomore.

"There's a benefit in being defeated," he said. "You learn that life goes on - you go back at it."

Jones, who carries a 3.7 grade point average, plans on majoring in political science in college and becoming an attorney. He said he will seek statewide political offices before his run for the Oval Office.

09-09-98