1998 Ohio gubernatorial election

1998 Ohio gubernatorial election

←  1994 November 3, 1998 2002  →

Nominee Bob Taft Lee Fisher Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,678,721 1,498,956 Percentage 50.0% 44.6%

County results Taft:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Fisher:     40–50%     50–60%

Governor before election George Voinovich Republican Elected Governor Bob Taft Republican

The 1998 Ohio gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Republican Governor of Ohio George Voinovich could not seek a third term as Governor due to term limits, and ran for the United States Senate instead. To replace him, former Attorney General of Ohio Lee Fisher and Ohio Secretary of State Bob Taft won the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively. Taft and Fisher faced off in a highly competitive general election, and in the end, Taft (a great-grandson of U.S. President and Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft) beat out Fisher by a narrow margin, making this gubernatorial election one of Ohio's closest.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Lee Fisher, former Attorney General of Ohio, former member of the Ohio Senate, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives

Results

Democratic primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lee Fisher	663,832	100.00
Total votes			663,832	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Bob Taft, Ohio Secretary of State, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, great-grandson of President William Howard Taft

Results

Republican primary results ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Taft	691,946	100.00
Total votes			691,946	100.00

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Bob Taft (R)	Lee Fisher (D)	Undecided
Louis Harris and Associates [3] [A]	October 30–31, 1998	773 (RV)	± 4.0%	44%	39%	17%
Mason-Dixon [3]	October 25–27, 1998	815 (LV)	± 3.5%	49%	42%	9%
Louis Harris and Associates [3] [A]	October 23–26, 1998	679 (LV)	± 4.0%	47%	43%	10%
University of Cincinnati [3]	October 22–26, 1998	754 (LV)	± 3.6%	51%	35%	14%
University of Cincinnati [3]	October 8–18, 1998	540 (LV)	± 4.2%	52%	37%	11%
University of Cincinnati [3]	October 2–7, 1998	405 (LV)	± 5.0%	46%	37%	17%
Mason-Dixon [3]	October 2–5, 1998	805 (LV)	± 3.5%	48%	40%	12%
University of Cincinnati [3]	September 8–20, 1998	521 (LV)	± 4.3%	49%	39%	12%
Mason-Dixon [3]	September 12–14, 1998	817 (LV)	± 3.5%	44%	35%	21%
University of Cincinnati [3]	May 13 – June 1, 1998	560 (RV)	± 4.0%	52%	36%	12%

Results

Ohio gubernatorial election, 1998 ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bob Taft	1,678,721	50.05%	−21.72%
	Democratic	Lee Fisher	1,498,956	44.69%	+19.71%
	Reform	John R. Mitchel	111,468	3.32%
	Natural Law	Zanna Feitler	65,068	1.94%
Majority			179,765	5.36%	−41.43%
Turnout			3,354,213
	Republican hold		Swing

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear

Partisan clients

1. Poll sponsored by The Blade, The Cincinnati Post, & WLIO-TV

References

1. Election Results and Data 1990-1999 Official Election Results
2. Election Results and Data 1990-1999 Official Election Results
3. "CNN AllPolitics Election '98 - Ohio 1998 Polls". CNN. Archived from the original on June 29, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
4. Election Results and Data 1990-1999 Official Election Results