2002 Ohio gubernatorial election

Ohio gubernatorial election, 2002

November 5, 2002

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.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Tim Hagan, former Cuyahoga County Commissioner

Results

Democratic primary results

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

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

General election

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

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bob Taft (inc.)	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