In 2004, Callendar was term limited from the state House and unsuccessfully ran for the state Senate, losing in the Republican primary to Tim Grendell. In 2018, he successfully returned to the Ohio House, winning an open seat similar to the seat he previously represented.

In 1997, Callender was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives, and would be elected three more times. As Chairman of the Ohio House Education Committee, Callender was involved in the creation of Ohio’s charter school laws and later legislative reforms related to community (“charter”) schools, and the introduction of the concept of “value added” as a measurement of a child’s educational progress. Callender was also appointed as Ohio’s representative on the Education Commission of the States (ECS), which worked with the Bush administration and various state governors to develop national education standards and accountability measurements, work which led to the No Child Left Behind Act.

Jamie Callender (born January 9, 1965) is an attorney, college professor, and current member of the Ohio General Assembly, representing the 61st district which includes the Lake County communities of Concord Township, Kirtland, Kirtland Hills, LeRoy Township, Madison, Madison Township, North Perry, Perry, Perry Township, Waite Hill, Willoughby Hills, as well as most of both Mentor and Painesville Township. He currently is Chairman of Public Utilities and Finance, as well as serving on Civil Justice, Joint Education Oversight Committee, Rules and Reference. Ohio House Committees