Idaho General Election · November 3, 2026Find polling place
Democrat

Jayson Meline

Jayson Meline

Idaho House of Representatives, District 28 Seat B

Email:jayson.meline@gmail.com
Campaign finance:Campaign Finance
City:Chubbuck

Jayson Meline Runs Again for Idaho House District 28, Seat B

Jayson Meline is the Democratic nominee for Idaho House District 28, Seat B, on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. He ran unopposed in the May 19, 2026 Democratic primary and advanced without opposition, per official Idaho Secretary of State results. In November he faces Republican incumbent Dan Garner, the same opponent he ran against in 2024, when Garner won 18,188 votes (76.7 percent) to Meline's 5,514 (23.3 percent). The 2026 race is Meline's second run for the seat.

Background and Education

Meline was born and raised in Pocatello. He attended public schools in Pocatello-Chubbuck School District #25 and graduated from Pocatello High School, per his 2024 candidate survey responses to LocalNews8/KIFI.

His postsecondary studies included Brigham Young University-Provo, the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Arizona State University, and La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, in fields including finance, international relations, judicial interpretation and translation, forensic linguistics, and public administration.

His career, as he described it in the same survey, has included multinational production and manufacturing work; service as an appointed and certified judicial interpreter for Spanish in multiple state and federal jurisdictions; forensic linguistic work for law enforcement agencies and attorneys; and microenterprise and community economic development work in migrant and rural communities. He currently works in the insurance industry.

Party Role and Political History

Meline has never held elected office. In his 2024 survey response, he wrote that he was "a registered unaffiliated (independent) voter my entire adult life until approximately 3 years ago when I chose to affiliate with the Idaho Democratic Party," placing that switch around 2021. He wrote that he had supported, advised, and worked for candidates from both parties in places where he had lived.

He currently holds a party leadership title. The Bannock County Democrats list him as the District 28 Legislative Chair on their executive committee. The party's District 28 candidates, including Meline, launched a meet-and-greet tour across the district in April 2026, beginning in Power County on April 14, according to the Idaho State Journal.

Personal Life and Community Recognition

Meline has raised seven children and has nine grandchildren, according to the Idaho State Journal's April 2026 profile of the District 28 candidates. He received a Small Business Administration Award as a Champion for Minority-Owned Business and is an active member of the Centennial Rotary Club of Pocatello, the newspaper reported.

In his own words, from the 2024 LocalNews8 survey: "I am a father, grandfather, brother, son, uncle in a great family."

2024 Campaign Positions

Meline did not respond to a 2026 candidate survey, so the positions below are from his 2024 campaign, when he first ran for the seat.

On why he ran, he told the Idaho State Journal in 2024: "I think that we have a real problem with extremism in Idaho, and that's why I'm running. We need to resurrect the two party system in the state of Idaho." In his LocalNews8 survey response, he argued that redistricting combined with closed primaries had made the legislature "a polarizing supermajority," and that Idaho needed a restored two-party system to provide checks and balances.

On local control, he told the Idaho State Journal: "one thing that motivates me greatly is we need to get back to respecting local control in government[.] The library bill, to me, is just a demonstration that our legislature doesn't trust you, me or our local government to handle issues such as materials in libraries." In the LocalNews8 survey, he called the library-materials law "an approved solution looking for a problem" and said it needed repeal.

On water and growth, he told the Idaho State Journal: "One of the biggest issues in Idaho is growth and the management of growth and stewardship of our lands and that cuts to the water situation and water curtailment here in East Idaho... I genuinely think the legislature simply needs to be prepared for taking a hard look at what the settlement is going to be between the Idaho Department of Water Resources and the stakeholders." He wrote in the LocalNews8 survey that he supported Idaho's autonomy in managing its water resources.

On vulnerable adults and education, he told the Idaho State Journal in 2024: "We need to do right by our vulnerable adults as well as our special needs learners... at the end of the last legislative session, the vocational rehab budget had a shortfall of $4.5 million."

On taxes, he proposed in the LocalNews8 survey eliminating sales-tax exemptions that no longer fit the modern economy, which he argued would allow a lower overall rate, and removing the sales tax on groceries and essential medications, describing Idaho's sales tax as regressive.

On abortion, he wrote in the LocalNews8 survey that Idaho's law lacks reasonable medical exceptions along with a practical exemption for rape or incest. He stated that he was not a proponent of "socially convenient abortion nor its public funding," but argued the law should give fuller consideration to conscience and medical decision-making by families and their doctors.

2026 Campaign Finance

Meline reported $4,695.00 in total contributions and no loans for the 2026 cycle, with $1,330.26 in expenditures and $3,364.74 in cash on hand, per filings in the Idaho Secretary of State's Sunshine campaign finance system. His top contributors include the Bannock County Democratic Central Committee at $2,000, the Power County Democrats at $720, and the Idaho Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee at $500, along with several family members and individual donors.

Sources

Profile published by IdahoVoters.com. Last updated September 27, 2026. This profile will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Frequently asked questions

What office is Jayson Meline running for in 2026?
He is the Democratic nominee for Idaho House District 28, Seat B, on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
Who is his opponent?
Republican incumbent Dan Garner. Garner won the 2024 race 18,188 votes (76.7 percent) to Meline's 5,514 (23.3 percent).
Did Meline face a primary in 2026?
No. He ran unopposed in the May 19, 2026 Democratic primary.
Has Meline held elected office before?
No. He wrote in a 2024 candidate survey that he had never sought or held political office before that election year.
Where is he from?
He was born and raised in Pocatello and graduated from Pocatello High School. His postsecondary studies include BYU-Provo, the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Arizona State University, and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
What does he do for a living?
He works in the insurance industry. His earlier career included multinational manufacturing, certified Spanish judicial interpretation in state and federal courts, forensic linguistic work, and small business development in migrant and rural communities.
What party role does he hold?
The Bannock County Democrats list him as District 28 Legislative Chair on their executive committee.
What did he say about the library materials law?
In his 2024 campaign, he told the Idaho State Journal the law showed the legislature did not trust local government, called it "an approved solution looking for a problem" in a LocalNews8 survey, and said it needed repeal.
What are his tax positions?
In his 2024 survey, he proposed eliminating sales-tax exemptions to lower the overall rate and removing the sales tax on groceries and essential medications.
How much money has his 2026 campaign raised?
$4,695.00 in total contributions with no loans, $1,330.26 spent, and $3,364.74 in cash on hand. Top donors include the Bannock County Democratic Central Committee ($2,000), Power County Democrats ($720), and the Idaho Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee ($500).

Also on the ballot in District 28

Every candidate for the State Senate and both House seats in this district. See the full District 28 page.

More on the November 3 ballot