1974 Ohio lieutenant gubernatorial election

1974 Ohio lieutenant gubernatorial election

←  1970 November 5, 1974 1978 (Governor)  →

Nominee Dick Celeste John William Brown Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,513,619 1,296,322 Percentage 51.82% 44.38%

County results Celeste:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Brown:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

Lieutenant Governor before election John William Brown Republican Elected Lieutenant Governor Dick Celeste Democratic

The 1974 Ohio lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974, to elect the Lieutenant Governor of Ohio. Democratic Ohio House Representative Dick Celeste defeated incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor John William Brown.

In 1976, following the passage of a voter-approved amendment, the elections for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Ohio were merged into one ticket. Thus, this race is the last election in which an Ohio Governor and Lieutenant Governor were elected separately. Additionally, this election coincided with the 1974 Ohio gubernatorial election in which former Republican Governor Jim Rhodes narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Governor John J. Gilligan, making this the last election in which an Ohio Governor and Lieutenant Governor of separate political parties were simultaneously elected.

Republican primary

Candidates

• John William Brown, incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (1963–1975), (1953–1957)

Campaign

The Republican primary was held on May 7, 1974. Brown won renomination unanimously.

Results

Republican primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John William Brown	474,818	100%
Total votes			474,818	100.0%

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Dick Celeste, Ohio House Representative (1971–1974)
• Anthony O. Calabrese, Ohio State Senator, (1956–1980)
• William M. O`Neill
• J. W. Brown
• A. William Sweeney, Ohio Supreme Court Justice (1977–1994)
• James R. Williams, lawyer
• Lucille Huston
• Henry W. Eckhart
• Don L. Hanni

Campaign

The Democratic primary was held on May 7, 1974. The primary campaign field was crowded with eight different candidates running for the Democratic nomination, Celeste ultimately won with a plurality of the popular vote.

Results

Democratic primary results ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dick Celeste	298,952	31.5%
	Democratic	Anthony O. Calabrese	176,756	18.62%
	Democratic	William M. O`Neill	125,012	13.17%
	Democratic	J. W. Brown	121,112	12.76%
	Democratic	A. William Sweeney	71,172	7.5%
	Democratic	James R. Williams	53,422	5.63%
	Democratic	Lucille Huston	48,034	5.06%
	Democratic	Henry W. Eckhart	30,614	3.23%
	Democratic	Don L. Hanni	24,033	2.53%
Total votes			949,107	100.0%

General election

Candidates

• Dick Celeste, Ohio House Representative (1971–1974) (Democratic)
• John William Brown, incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (1963–1975), (1953–1957)
• Herman Kirsch (Independent)
• Bernard Henderson (Write-in)

Results

1974 Ohio lieutenant gubernatorial election results ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Dick Celeste	1,513,619	51.82%	+4.45%
	Republican	John William Brown	1,296,322	44.38%	−8.24%
	Independent	Herman Kirsch	110,776	3.79%	N/A
	Write-in	Bernard Henderson	39	0.00%	N/A
Total votes			2,920,756	100.0%
	Democratic gain from Republican

References

1. "Republican primary: May 7, 1974 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
2. "Democratic Primary: May 7, 1974". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
3. "General Election Overview: November 5, 1974 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved October 16, 2025.