With the endorsement of the Hamilton County Republican Party, Mecklenborg was appointed to succeed
Bill Seitz in the 30th House District in the Ohio legislature in 2007. He was seated October 9, 2007. In the 2008 primary, Mecklenborg won the Republican Party nomination for the 30th House District seat. In the general election, Mecklenborg defeated Democrat
Bob Klug by nearly 29,000 votes. He retained the 30th House District seat in 2010 in the campaign against Democrat
Richard Luken. He chaired the Ohio House state government and elections committee and served on the committees of finance and appropriations, the higher education subcommittee, and the judiciary and ethics committees. He was a member of the Ohio Arts Council and the State Victims Assistance Advisory Committee. ==References==