Lebanon Mayor Ken Jackola Poised to Win First Term in Oregon House

Lebanon, OR. — Republican Ken Jackola emerged as the apparent winner in Oregon House District 11 after taking more than two-thirds of the vote in preliminary returns Tuesday. The Lebanon mayor led Democrat Ivan Maluski by 11,541 votes and is poised to serve his first term in the Oregon Legislature.

Jackola received 21,565 votes, or 68.15%, in the unofficial tally. Maluski, who also appeared on the ballot as the nominee of the Independent and Working Families parties, received 10,024 votes, or 31.68%. Write-ins accounted for 56 of the 31,645 votes tallied in the race.

The result would keep the seat in Republican hands. Rep. Jami Cate, R-Lebanon, opted to run for the Oregon Senate, leaving an open House seat in a district that includes eastern Linn County and part of Marion County. Maluski, a farmer and rancher from the Scio area, previously challenged Cate as a nonaffiliated candidate in 2024.

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Jackola has served as Lebanon’s mayor since 2022. He spent 25 years in the U.S. Army and Oregon Army National Guard, with deployments to Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan, and works as vice president of the Albany & Eastern Railroad Company. When he entered the race in February, Jackola said he would oppose new taxes, advocate for living-wage jobs and defend Second Amendment rights. He also opposed legislation moving the statewide transportation tax referendum from November to May, arguing in written testimony that the change would undermine public trust in the referendum process. Right Now Oregon covered Jackola’s campaign announcement and testimony on the referendum.

Jackola secured the Republican nomination in May against Angelita “Angel” Sanchez. He had nearly 57% of the vote to Sanchez’s roughly 43% when she conceded, according to Right Now Oregon’s coverage of the Republican primary. rightnoworegon.com

The general election results remain unofficial pending certification. Updated totals are available on the Oregon Secretary of State’s election results page.