2002 Ohio gubernatorial election

2002 Ohio gubernatorial election

←  1998 November 5, 2002 2006  →

Nominee Bob Taft Tim Hagan Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,865,007 1,236,924 Percentage 57.8% 38.3%

County results Taft:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Hagan:     40–50%     50–60%

Governor before election Bob Taft Republican Elected Governor Bob Taft Republican

The 2002 Ohio gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican Governor of Ohio Bob Taft ran for re-election to a second and final term as governor, and he was opposed by Democratic nominee Tim Hagan, a former Cuyahoga County Commissioner. The race between Taft and Hagan was not competitive, and Taft was re-elected by a substantial margin, ensuring him a second term in office.

As of 2024, this was the last time that someone other than a current or former member of Congress was elected to the governorship.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Tim Hagan, former Cuyahoga County Commissioner and candidate for Cleveland Mayor in 1989

Declined

• Sherrod Brown, U.S. Representative from Ohio's 13th congressional district since 1993, Ohio Secretary of State, 1983-1991 ^[1]
• Richard Celeste, U.S. Ambassador to India 1997–2001, former Governor of Ohio, 1983-1991 ^{[2] [3]}

Sherrod Brown's district was seen as particularly vulnerable in redistricting, and many thought he would run for governor. ^{[4] [5]} But Brown ultimately would not pursue a race, and would go on to win in a redrawn 13th district. ^[6] Tim Hagan, a former Cuyahoga County Commissioner had initially dithered on running, indicating a willingness to defer to a more prominent nominee should one emerge. ^{[7] [1]} As none emerged, Tim Hagan became the Democratic nominee.

Results

Democratic primary results ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tim Hagan	467,572	100.00
Total votes			467,572	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Bob Taft, incumbent Governor of Ohio

Results

Republican primary results ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Taft (incumbent)	552,491	100.00
Total votes			552,491	100.00

General election

Taft was the favorite, and Hagan struggled with fundraising. ^[10] Hagan, who was married to Star Trek actress Kate Mulgrew, held a fundraiser with her, William Shatner to raise money. ^{[11] [12]} Hagan still struggled, and had to pull TV ads, and focus on mail ads. ^{[13] [14]}

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [15]	Safe R	October 31, 2002
Sabato's Crystal Ball [16]	Likely R	November 4, 2002

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Bob Taft (R)	Tim Hagan (D)	Other / Undecided
SurveyUSA [17]	October 29–31, 2002	725 (LV)	± 3.8%	57%	39%	3%

Results

Taft won reelection easily, winning by nearly 19.5% and by 628,083 votes. Taft did well in most parts of the state. Hagan only managed to win six out of 88 counties. Hagan won Lorain County, Cuyahoga County, Summit County, Trumbull County, Mahoning County, and Athens County. Despite winning in a landslide Taft would go on to be extremely unpopular in his second term, leaving office with a 2% approval rating, the lowest for any statewide official in modern U.S. history. In 2006 Democrat Ted Strickland would easily go on to defeat Republican Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. It resulted in a gain for the Democrats, and was the first time they had obtained the governorship in 16 years.

Ohio gubernatorial election, 2002 ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bob Taft (incumbent)	1,865,007	57.76%	+7.71%
	Democratic	Tim Hagan	1,236,924	38.31%	−6.38%
	Independent	John Eastman	126,686	3.92%
	Write-ins		375	0.01%
Majority			628,083	19.45%	+14.09%
Turnout			3,228,992
	Republican hold		Swing

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Montgomery (largest city: Dayton)
• Monroe (largest city: Woodsfield)
• Portage (largest city: Kent)
• Lucas (Largest city: Toledo)
• Erie (largest city: Sandusky)
• Belmont (largest city: Martins Ferry)
• Jefferson (largest city: Steubenville)
• Tuscarawas (largest city: New Philadelphia)
• Harrison (Largest city: Cadiz)
• Perry (Largest city: New Lexington)
• Pike (Largest city: Waverly)
• Ross (Largest city: Chillicothe)
• Scioto (Largest city: Portsmouth)
• Vinton (Largest city: McArthur)

Notes

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

References

1. Wenzel, Fritz (December 31, 2001). A predictable political year ahead. Toledo Blade. pp. 7A.
2. Associated Press (May 9, 2001). Hagan may run for governor. Portsmouth Daily Times. pp. A11.
3. Associated Press (April 28, 2001). Politics are not in Celeste's plans. The Vindicator. pp. B4.
4. Skolnick, David (April 4, 2001). Brown hints at run for governor's job. The Vindicator. pp. B4.
5. Wenzel, Fritz (March 17, 2001). GOP holds edge in redrawing Ohio political map. Toledo Blade. pp. A4.
6. "CNN.com Election 2002 - State Races: Ohio". www.cnn.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2003. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
7. McCarthy, John (May 2, 2002). Partisans have no choice at the top - again. The Bryan Times. p. 8.
8. "Results". Archived from the original on October 13, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
9. "Results 2002". Archived from the original on October 13, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
10. Drew, James (June 15, 2002). Hagan falls behind Taft in quest for campaign cash. Toledo Blade. pp. A4.
11. Associated Press (August 25, 2002). 'Star Trek' Fans raise $150,000 for Tim Hagan. The Vindicator. pp. B5.
12. "CNN.com - Let the debates begin - August 27, 2002". www.cnn.com. August 27, 2002. Archived from the original on October 4, 2002. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
13. The Vindicator Wire Report (August 22, 2002). Hagan forgoes TV ads, citing lack of campaign funds. The Vindicator. pp. B4.
14. Associated Press (August 23, 2002). Hagan abandons TV for mailboxes. The Daily Sentinel. pp. A2.
15. "Governor Updated October 31, 2002 | The Cook Political Report". The Cook Political Report. October 31, 2002. Archived from the original on December 8, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
16. "Governors Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
17. SurveyUSA
18. 2002 results ^{[ dead link ‍]}