1998 Ohio gubernatorial election
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The 1998 Ohio gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Republican Governor of Ohio George Voinovich could not seek a third term due to term limits, and ran for the United States Senate instead. To replace him, former Attorney General of Ohio Lee Fisher and Ohio Secretary of State Bob Taft won the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively. Taft and Fisher faced off in a highly competitive general election, and in the end, Taft (a great-grandson of U.S. President and Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft) defeated Fisher.
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November 3, 1998
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| Turnout | 49.81% (registered voters) | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Taft: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Fisher: 40–50% 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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![](#/media/File:Robert_Alphonso_"Bob"_Taft_III_portrait_-_DPLA_-_c9c8211b3a824d8a98f58a7424de143b_(cropped).jpg)
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Lee Fisher, former Attorney General of Ohio, former member of the Ohio Senate, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lee Fisher | 663,832 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 663,832 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Bob Taft, Ohio Secretary of State, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, great-grandson of President William Howard Taft
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Taft | 691,946 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 691,946 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Bob Taft (R) |
Lee Fisher (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louis Harris and Associates[3][A] | October 30–31, 1998 | 773 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 44% | 39% | 17% |
| Mason-Dixon[3] | October 25–27, 1998 | 815 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 49% | 42% | 9% |
| Louis Harris and Associates[3][A] | October 23–26, 1998 | 679 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 47% | 43% | 10% |
| University of Cincinnati[3] | October 22–26, 1998 | 754 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 51% | 35% | 14% |
| University of Cincinnati[3] | October 8–18, 1998 | 540 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 52% | 37% | 11% |
| University of Cincinnati[3] | October 2–7, 1998 | 405 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 46% | 37% | 17% |
| Mason-Dixon[3] | October 2–5, 1998 | 805 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 48% | 40% | 12% |
| University of Cincinnati[3] | September 8–20, 1998 | 521 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 49% | 39% | 12% |
| Mason-Dixon[3] | September 12–14, 1998 | 817 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 44% | 35% | 21% |
| University of Cincinnati[3] | May 13 – June 1, 1998 | 560 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 52% | 36% | 12% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Taft | 1,678,721 | 50.05% | −21.72% | |
| Democratic | Lee Fisher | 1,498,956 | 44.69% | +19.71% | |
| Reform | John R. Mitchel | 111,468 | 3.32% | ||
| Natural Law | Zanna Feitler | 65,068 | 1.94% | ||
| Majority | 179,765 | 5.36% | −41.43% | ||
| Turnout | 3,354,213 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
- Partisan clients
- Poll sponsored by The Blade, The Cincinnati Post, & WLIO-TV