Notwithstanding the strong ticket nominated all did not accept the situation. Golden Rule Mayor Samuel M. Jones of Toledo, after the nomination of McLean, announced his candidacy as a non-partisan for the Governorship. With Jones as the Independent candidate the campaign was one of intense excitement. He toured the state and everywhere was received with plaudits. His kindliness and unquestioned sincerity marked him a real tribune of the people, and a large element of the Democrats flocked to his standard. Known as a close and intimate friend of Col. Kilbourne, his accusations against the methods of both the old political parties had more weight with Democrats than with Republicans who deprecated the methods of the late Marcus A. Hanna. As a consequence of the more than one hundred thousand votes received by Jones not less than seventy-five thousand were cast by Democrats who would have voted for Mr. McLean had Jones not been nominated.

The Democratic ticket was beaten and the legislature was Republican by a substantial plurality. Before his death Mayor Jones confided to some of his closest friends that had Col. Kilbourne been nominated he, (Jones), would not have been a candidate.