Incumbent Republican Cliff Bentz easily won the right to serve out the remainder of a four-year term in the heavily GOP-leaning Senate District 30.

Bentz, of Ontario, defeated Democrat Solea Kabakov, a sales professional from The Dalles, by a wide margin.

“I’m happy we appear to be winning,” Bentz said Tuesday night.

“It feels better than being appointed.”

Bentz, 66, was chosen last year by Republican leaders to replace long-serving Republican Sen. Ted Ferrioli, who was appointed by Gov. Kate Brown to the Northwest Power and Conservation Planning Council.

Extending from the Nevada and Idaho state lines and touching Jefferson and Deschutes counties, Senate District 30 is the largest in Oregon.

Bentz told The Bulletin he hopes to spend time in the remainder of his term protecting Oregon’s water and addressing new taxes he expects to come from the Democrats.

— Reporter: 541-383-0325, gandrews@bendbulletin.com