1998 Ohio State Treasurer election

1998 Ohio State Treasurer election

← 1994 November 3, 1998 2002  →

Nominee Joe Deters John A. Donofrio Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,719,143 1,472,940 Percentage 53.86% 46.14%

Deters:     50–60%     60–70%     70-80% Donofrio:     50–60%     60–70%

State Treasurer before election Ken Blackwell Republican Elected State Treasurer Joe Deters Republican

The 1998 Ohio State Treasurer election was held on November 3, 1998, to elect the Ohio State Treasurer. Primaries were held on May 3, 1998. Incumbent Republican Ohio State Treasurer Ken Blackwell chose not to run for re-election, instead running for Ohio Secretary of State. Republican Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Deters won the election, defeating Democratic Summit County Treasurer John A. Donofrio by seven percentage points.

Republican primary

Candidates

• Joe Deters, Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney

Campaign

Deters won the Republican nomination unopposed.

Results

Republican primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joe Deters	589,802	100%
Total votes			589,802	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

• John A. Donofrio, Summit County Treasurer
• Helen Knipe Smith, former Cleveland City Council member

Campaign

Donofrio won the nomination by a comfortable margin, defeating former Cleveland City Council member Helen Knipe Smith by eight percentage points.

Results

Democratic primary results ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John A. Donofrio	380,314	54.25%
	Democratic	Helen Knipe Smith	320,775	45.75%
Total votes			701,089	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• Joe Deters, Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney (Republican)
• John A. Donofrio, Summit County Treasurer (Democratic)

Results

1998 Ohio State Treasurer election results ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Joe Deters	1,719,143	53.86%	−0.12%
	Democratic	John A. Donofrio	1,472,940	46.14%	+3.82%
Total votes			3,192,083	100.00%
	Republican hold

References

1. "Republican Overview: May 3, 1998 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
2. "Democratic Overview: May 3, 1998 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
3. "Overview: November 3, 1998 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved October 28, 2025.