The 2018 Ohio gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next

governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, concurrently with the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

's Class I U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states,

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

, and various

and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor

John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...

was term-limited and could not seek re-election for a third consecutive term. Republicans nominated Ohio Attorney General and former U.S. Senator

Mike DeWine Richard Michael DeWine (; born January 5, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 70th and current governor of Ohio. A member of the Republican Party, DeWine began his career as a prosecutor before being elected to the Oh ...

, while Democrats nominated former

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is an agency of the United States government responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector. CFPB's jurisdiction includes banks, credit unions, securities firms, payday lenders, mor ...

Director and former Ohio Attorney General

Richard Cordray Richard Adams Cordray (born May 3, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the COO of Federal Student Aid in the United States Department of Education. He served as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFP ...

. This was the second contest between DeWine and Cordray, following the 2010 attorney general election, which DeWine won, 47.5% to 46.3%. In 2018, DeWine defeated Cordray 50.4% to 46.7%, in what was considered a minor upset. Despite Cordray's loss, he became the first Democratic gubernatorial candidate to win

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

's Hamilton County since Dick Celeste in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., Un ...

. Likewise, DeWine became the first Republican to win in the historically Democratic Monroe County in a gubernatorial election since

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...

as the county took a sharp turn to the right. With Democratic senator

Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell Brown (; born November 9, 1952) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Ohio, a seat which he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Ohio's ...

winning re-election in the same year, this was the first election since 1974 in which Ohio simultaneously voted for a governor and senator of opposite parties. DeWine and Husted took office on January 14, 2019.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominated

, Ohio Attorney General, former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, former

lieutenant governor of Ohio The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve a ...

, and former U.S. Representative ** Running mate:

Jon Husted Jon A. Husted (born August 25, 1967) is an American politician serving as the 66th lieutenant governor of Ohio, since 2019. He was previously the 53rd Ohio Secretary of State. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 6th Dis ...

Ohio Secretary of State The Secretary of State of Ohio is an elected statewide official in the State of Ohio. The Secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections in the state; registering business entities (corporations, etc.) and granting them the author ...

and former Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives

Eliminated in primary

* Mary Taylor,

Lieutenant Governor of Ohio The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve a ...

** Running mate: Nathan Estruth, businessman

Withdrew

* Jon A. Husted,

(running for lieutenant governor) * Jim Renacci, U.S. Representative ( running for the U.S. Senate) ** Running mate: Amy Murray, Cincinnati Councilwoman

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Ohio gubernatorial Republican primary, 2018

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominated

, former director of the

, former Ohio Attorney General, former Ohio State Treasurer, nominee for OH-15 in

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...

, nominee for

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, and candidate for U.S. Senate in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

** Running mate: Betty Sutton, former U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

* Larry Ealy, former male stripper and candidate for governor in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

**Running mate: Jeffrey Lynn *

Dennis Kucinich Dennis John Kucinich (; born October 8, 1946) is an American politician. A U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1997 to 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2004 and 2008. He ran for ...

, former U.S. Representative, former mayor of

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

, candidate for Secretary of State in

, and candidate for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

** Running mate: Tara Samples,

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city pro ...

City Councilwoman * Bill O'Neill, Justice of the

Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

and nominee for

OH-14 The 14th congressional district of Ohio is in the far northeast corner of the state, bordering Lake Erie and Pennsylvania. It is currently represented in the United States House of Representatives by Dave Joyce. As defined in January 2013 ...

and

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

** Running mate: Chantelle Lewis, elementary school principal and former East Cleveland City Councilwoman * Paul Ray ** Running mate: Jerry Schroeder *

Joe Schiavoni Joseph L. Schiavoni (born September 21, 1979) is an American politician and judge who served as a member of the Ohio Senate and Ohio Senate Minority Leader. A member of the Democratic Party, Schiavoni was elected in 2020 to serve as a Judge in t ...

, state senator and former Minority Leader of the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

** Running mate: Stephanie Dodd, State Board of Education Member

Failed to qualify for ballot

* Jon Heavey, physician * Dave Kiefer, former Wayne County Commissioner and Republican candidate for state representative in 2016

Withdrew

Connie Pillich Connie Pillich (born September 7, 1960) is an American attorney and former Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 28th District since 2009. She was the Democratic candidate for Ohio State Treasurer in 2014. Ca ...

, former state representative and nominee for Ohio State Treasurer in

(endorsed Richard Cordray) ** Running mate: Scott Schertzer, Mayor of Marion, OH * Betty Sutton, former U.S. Representative (running for lieutenant governor) *

Nan Whaley Nannette L. Whaley (; born January 23, 1976) is an American politician who served as the 56th mayor of Dayton, Ohio from 2014 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected to the mayorship in November 2013, after she served ...

, Mayor of

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

(endorsed Richard Cordray)

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Ohio gubernatorial Democratic primary, 2018

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominated

* Travis Irvine, filmmaker and writer ** Running mate: Todd Grayson

Withdrew

* Bruce Jaynes, entrepreneur * Stephen Quinn, student

Green primary

Candidates

Nominated

* Constance Gadell-Newton, attorney, co-chair of the Ohio Green Party and nominee for the

State House State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

in 2016 ** Running mate: Brett R. Joseph

General election

Candidates

( Republican), Ohio Attorney General and former U.S. Senator ** Running mate: Jon A. Husted,

Secretary of State of Ohio The Secretary of State of Ohio is an elected statewide official in the State of Ohio. The Secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections in the state; registering business entities ( corporations, etc.) and granting them the auth ...

and former Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives *

(

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

), former director of the

, former Ohio Attorney General and former Ohio State Treasurer ** Running mate: Betty Sutton, former U.S. Representative * Constance Gadell-Newton (

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

), attorney, co-chair of the Ohio Green Party and nominee for the

in 2016 ** Running mate: Brett R. Joseph, attorney, educator and small businessman * Travis Irvine (

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

) ** Running mate: Todd Grayson, former Perrysburg City Councilman

Endorsements

Debates

Predictions

Polling

;with DeWine and Kucinich ;with DeWine and Pillich ;with Jon Husted ;with generic Republican and Democrat

Results

Notes

References

External links

*
Candidates
at

Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

Candidates
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

;Official campaign websites
Richard Cordray (D) for Governor

Mike DeWine (R) for Governor

Constance A. Gadell-Newton (G) for Governor

Travis Irvine (L) for Governor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohio gubernatorial election, 2018 Gubernatorial

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

2018 United States gubernatorial elections