OHIO
     Nov. 6, 2018 Governor

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+Mike DeWine/Jon Husted (R)
2,231,917
50.39%
Richard Cordray/Betty Sutton (D)
2,067,847
46.68%
Travis Irvine/J. Todd Grayson (L)
79,985
1.81%
C. Gadell-Newton/Brett Joseph (G)
49,475
1.12%
write ins (3)
358


4,429,582

Registered voters: 8,070,917.  Ballots counted: 4,496,834.
Plurality: 160,070 votes (3.71 percentage points).
OH Secretary of State




Notes
: The race to succeed term-limited Gov. John Kasich (R) pitted Attorney General Mike DeWine (R) against Richard Cordray (D). 

Both major parties had interesting primaries on May 8.  On the Republican side DeWine defeated Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor by 59.8% to 40.2%.  For the Democrats Cordray defeated former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich by 62.3% to 22.9% and 9.2% for Joe Schiavoni. 
Also on the November ballot were Constance Gadell-Newton (G) and Travis Irvine (L).

DeWine has an extensive record in public service.  He started as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Greene County in 1973, was elected to the Ohio Senate in 1981, served four terms in the U.S. House (1983-91), one term as lieutenant governor (1991-94); two terms in the U.S. Senate (elected in 1994 and 2000, defeated in 2006); and was elected Attorney General in 2010 and 2014. 

Cordray is best known as the first
Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under President Obama.  He was elected to the Ohio House in 1990; unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1992; served as Solicitor General of Ohio (1993-95); ran unsuccessfully for Attorney General in 1998; ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2000; was elected Franklin County Treasurer in 2002 and 2004; elected Ohio Treasurer in 2006; elected Ohio Attorney General in 2008 but defeated (by DeWine) in 2010.
 

DeWine  teamed up with Secretary of State Jon Husted, while Cordray ran with former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, who more recently served as administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.
 

There were three debates between the two major party candidates; at the University of Dayton on Sept. 19 (>); the second at Marietta College on Oct. 1 (>); and the third, sponsored by the Ohio Debate Commission, at Cleveland State University on Oct. 8 (>).


This was the most expensive governor's race in Ohio history; according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, the DeWine campaign received contributions of $25.5 million and the Cordray campaign $16.3 million (>).


Campaign Managers:
Mike DeWine General Consultant: 
Dave Luketic
(May 2016)  Consultant to New Day for America (the pro-Kasich super PAC), May 2015-May 2016.  Executive director of Balanced Budget Forever, Jan.-April 2015.  Political director on Kasich Taylor for Ohio, Aug. 2013-Jan. 2015.  Political director for the Ohio Republican Party, April 2012-Aug. 2013.  Political director on Building a Better Ohio, July 2011-Jan. 2012.  Coalition director in the Office of Gov. John Kasich, Jan.-July 2011.  Northeast Ohio field director on Kasich/Taylor for Ohio, July-Dec. 2010.  Administrative assistant for the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, April 2009-July 2010.  Political director of the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County, Dec. 2007-March 2009.  B.S. in political science from University of Dayton.

Richard Cordray:  Michael Halle
(Feb. 2018)  Director of battleground analytics and strategy (Feb.-Nov. 2016) and Iowa caucus director (April 2015-Feb. 2016) on Hillary for America.  Executive director of Common Good VA (McAuliffe PAC) since Dec. 2013; director of the Democratic Party of Virginia Coordinated Campaign from Jan. 2013.  Obama for America North Carolina general election director, Jan.-Nov. 2012.  Campaign manager on Anthony Foxx for Charlotte, April-Nov. 2011.  Campaign manager on Citizens for Jake Zimmerman, St. Louis City Council Campaign, Jan.-April 2011.  Field director on the Missouri Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign, May-Nov. 2010.  Special assistant at the HHS Office of Health Reform, April 2009-April 2010.  Started as a field organizer on Obama's 2007-08 Iowa caucus campaign, then continued on to Kansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana; and in the fall served as a deputy field director in North Carolina.  Prior to the campaign he interned at the Center for American Progress.  Graduate of Illinois State University, 2006.




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