1970 Ohio State Auditor election

1970 Ohio State Auditor election

←  1966 November 3, 1970 (1970-11-03) 1974  →

Nominee Joseph T. Ferguson Roger Tracy Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,484,610 1,434,105 Percentage 50.87% 49.13%

County results Ferguson:     50–60%     60–70% Tracy:     50–60%     60–70%

State Auditor before election Roger Cloud Republican Elected State Auditor Joseph T. Ferguson Democratic

The 1970 Ohio State Auditor election was held on November 3, 1970, to elect the Ohio State Auditor. Primaries were held on May 5, 1970. Republican incumbent Ohio State Auditor Roger Cloud chose to unsuccessfully run for Ohio Attorney General rather than seek another term as Auditor. Democratic former Ohio State Auditor Joseph T. Ferguson won the election, defeating Republican Ohio State House Representative Roger Tracy by a narrow margin of just one percentage point.

Republican primary

Candidates

• Roger Tracy, Ohio State House Representative (1967–1970)
• James J. Barton

Campaign

Tracy easily won the Republican nomination in a landslide over Barton, winning with nearly 80% of the vote.

Results

Republican primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Roger Tracy	633,977	79.19%
	Republican	James J. Barton	166,639	20.81%
Total votes			800,616	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Joseph T. Ferguson, former Ohio State Treasurer (1959–1963), former Ohio State Auditor (1937–1953)
• Samuel H. Rugg
• Shaw A. Ferguson

Campaign

Ferguson easily won the nomination by over 40 percentage points against his two primary opponents.

Results

Democratic primary results ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph T. Ferguson	468,398	63.42%
	Democratic	Samuel H. Rugg	138,888	18.81%
	Democratic	Shaw A. Ferguson	131,225	17.77%
Total votes			738,511	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• Joseph T. Ferguson, former Ohio State Treasurer (1959–1963), former Ohio State Auditor (1937–1953) (Democratic)
• Roger Tracy, Ohio State House Representative (1967–1970) (Republican)

Results

1970 Ohio State Auditor election results ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joseph T. Ferguson	1,484,610	50.87%	+6.94
	Republican	Roger Tracy	1,434,105	49.13%	−6.94
Total votes			2,918,715	100.00%
	Democratic gain from Republican

References

1. "Republican Primary: May 5, 1970 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
2. "Democratic Primary: May 5, 1970 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
3. "General Election: November 3, 1970 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 17, 2025.