1970 Ohio State Auditor election
November 3, 1970
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
County results Ferguson: 50–60% 60–70% Tracy: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Ohio |
|---|
The 1970 Ohio State Auditor election was held on November 3, 1970, to elect the Ohio State Auditor. Primaries were held on May 5, 1970. Republican incumbent Ohio State Auditor Roger Cloud chose to unsuccessfully run for Ohio Attorney General rather than seek another term as Auditor. Democratic former Ohio State Auditor Joseph T. Ferguson won the election, defeating Republican Ohio State House Representative Roger Tracy by a narrow margin of just one percentage point.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Roger Tracy, Ohio State House Representative (1967–1970)
- James J. Barton
Campaign
Tracy easily won the Republican nomination in a landslide over Barton, winning with nearly 80% of the vote.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Roger Tracy | 633,977 | 79.19% | |
| Republican | James J. Barton | 166,639 | 20.81% | |
| Total votes | 800,616 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Joseph T. Ferguson, former Ohio State Treasurer (1959–1963), former Ohio State Auditor (1937–1953)
- Samuel H. Rugg
- Shaw A. Ferguson
Campaign
Ferguson easily won the nomination by over 40 percentage points against his two primary opponents.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joseph T. Ferguson | 468,398 | 63.42% | |
| Democratic | Samuel H. Rugg | 138,888 | 18.81% | |
| Democratic | Shaw A. Ferguson | 131,225 | 17.77% | |
| Total votes | 738,511 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Joseph T. Ferguson, former Ohio State Treasurer (1959–1963), former Ohio State Auditor (1937–1953) (Democratic)
- Roger Tracy, Ohio State House Representative (1967–1970) (Republican)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joseph T. Ferguson | 1,484,610 | 50.87% | +6.94 | |
| Republican | Roger Tracy | 1,434,105 | 49.13% | −6.94 | |
| Total votes | 2,918,715 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
References
- ^ "Republican Primary: May 5, 1970 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
- ^ "Democratic Primary: May 5, 1970 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
- ^ "General Election: November 3, 1970 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved November 17, 2025.