1998 Ohio Secretary of State election
November 3, 1998
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Blackwell: 50–60% 60–70% 70-80% Taraves: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Ohio |
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The 1998 Ohio Secretary of State election was held on November 3, 1998, to elect the Ohio Secretary of State. Primaries were held on May 3, 1998. Incumbent Republican Ohio Secretary of State Bob Taft was term-limited and could not run for a third consecutive term.
Republican Ohio State Treasurer Ken Blackwell won the election, defeating Democratic Ohio House Representative Charleta Tavares with 56.03% of the vote.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Ken Blackwell, Ohio State Treasurer (1994–1999)
Campaign
Blackwell won the Republican nomination unopposed.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ken Blackwell | 601,746 | 100% | |
| Total votes | 601,746 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Charleta Tavares, Ohio House Representative (1993–1998)
- Mark Hanni, Attorney
Campaign
Tavares easily defeated Attorney Mark Hanni to seize the Democratic nomination, winning by over 20 percentage points.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Charleta Tavares | 427,805 | 63.87% | |
| Democratic | Mark Hanni | 241,988 | 36.13% | |
| Total votes | 669,793 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Ken Blackwell, Ohio State Treasurer (1994–1999) (Republican)
- Charleta Tavares, Ohio House Representative (1993–1998)
- Robert Anthony Martin (Write-in)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ken Blackwell | 1,789,105 | 56.03% | −8.75% | |
| Democratic | Charleta Tavares | 1,404,081 | 43.97% | +8.75% | |
| Write-in | Robert Anthony Martin | 186 | 0.01% | ||
| Total votes | 3,193,372 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
References
- ^ "Republican Overview: May 3, 1998 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
- ^ "Democratic Overview: May 3, 1998 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
- ^ "Overview: November 3, 1998 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved October 28, 2025.