Ivan Maluski, a farmer and rancher from Scio, is running for House District 11 to represent rural Linn County in the Oregon House of Representatives. The candidate is making his second run for the seat, hoping that voters tired of ineffective leadership in Salem will opt for an independent voice to represent them at the State Capitol in 2026.
The candidate said his focus is on lowering costs and boosting jobs in rural Oregon. “Oregon should be a place where families can afford to live, rural communities are thriving, and everyone has access to quality, affordable health care and meaningful local job opportunities. I’m running for State Representative to make our state work for all of the people who live here instead of out-of-state interests or partisan political agendas. For far too long, our representatives in the Legislature have been ineffective at delivering on priorities like lowering costs and improving the lives of local folks like you and me. We need a new approach. It’s time for an independent voice to represent rural Linn County.”
Maluski previously spent over a decade advocating for family farmers and ranchers at the State Capitol in Salem and also served four years as an elected Director of one of Oregon’s Rural Fire Protection Districts.
Maluski, a political independent, ran as a ‘nonaffiliated’ candidate in 2024 and is running in the Democratic primary this year. Despite the party label, he’s not one to fall in line and is critical of the leadership of both political parties, opposing both the controversial gas-tax increase and transportation bill passed last year, as well as Governor Kotek’s plans to expand publicly funded tax-credits to data centers that are driving up electricity prices for Oregonians and eating up farmland and water supplies. “Both Republicans and Democrats are playing politics on transportation and average Oregonians are the ones left with crumbling roads and bridges and poorly managed public funds. And with energy hungry data centers driving up electricity prices with no end in sight, we should be putting a moratorium on new data centers, not handing out bigger tax breaks or paving over farmland to build more of them,” Maluski said.
Maluski highlighted the need for the Legislature to focus on bringing costs down for Oregonians. “Families feel squeezed from every direction: rising electricity and fuel bills, high food and health care costs, and the price of housing and childcare. If elected, I’ll prioritize passing legislation that brings down the cost of living, creates jobs, and makes things like health care, groceries, housing, energy and childcare more affordable. No one should have to choose between medical care and paying their bills or buying groceries. It’s time for practical solutions to lower costs and create good paying jobs for Oregonians.”
“Rural Oregon deserves the same respect and investment as our bigger cities. Oregon’s economic development resources should be focused on revitalizing small towns and cities in rural Oregon, not just big cities and suburbs. We can grow Oregon’s economy by supporting the independent businesses and workers who are the economic backbone of our communities. The Legislature needs to invest in the value that small towns, agriculture, sustainable timber, hunting, fishing, and recreation bring to our state’s economy and quality of life.”
Maluski’s campaign website is www.ruralindependent.com.
For questions, please contact: Ivan Maluski, 503-449-2270, [email protected]