1970 United States Senate election in Ohio
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The 1970 United States Senate election in Ohio took place on November 3, 1970. Incumbent Democratic Senator Stephen M. Young did not run for re-election to a third term in office. U.S. Representative Robert Taft Jr. won the open seat over Democrat Howard Metzenbaum.
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November 3, 1970
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 County results Taft: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Metzenbaum: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary elections were held on May 5. Both Taft and Metzenbaum won very competitive primaries to gain their parties' nominations, over Governor of Ohio Jim Rhodes and astronaut John Glenn, respectively.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Kenneth W. Clement, Cleveland physician and advisor to mayor Carl Stokes[1][2]
- John Glenn, member of the Mercury Seven, first American to orbit the planet Earth, and candidate for Senate in 1964[2]
- John W. McAlarney, Akron resident[2]
- Howard Metzenbaum, industrialist, former State Senator from Lyndhurst and campaign manager for Senator Stephen Young in 1964[2]
Results
Metzenbaum: 40–50% 50–60%
Glenn: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Howard Metzenbaum | 430,469 | 46.32% | |
| Democratic | John Glenn | 417,027 | 44.88% | |
| Democratic | Kenneth W. Clement | 50,375 | 5.42% | |
| Democratic | John W. McAlarney | 31,438 | 3.38% | |
| Total votes | 929,309 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Jim Rhodes, Governor of Ohio since 1963
- Robert Taft Jr., U.S. Representative from Cincinnati, scion of the Taft family, and nominee for Senate in 1964
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert Taft Jr. | 472,202 | 50.28% | |
| Republican | Jim Rhodes | 466,932 | 49.72% | |
| Republican | William L. White (write-in) | 18 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 939,152 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert Taft Jr. | 1,565,682 | 49.68% |  0.10 | |
| Democratic | Howard Metzenbaum | 1,495,262 | 46.52% | 3.70 | |
| American Independent | Richard B. Kay | 61,261 | 1.94% | N/A | |
| Socialist Labor | John O'Neill | 29,069 | 0.92% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 3,151,274 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||