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 County results Taft: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Hagan: 40–50% 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The2002 Ohio gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002. IncumbentRepublicanGovernor of OhioBob Taft ran for re-election to a second and final term as governor, and he was opposed byDemocratic nomineeTim Hagan, a formerCuyahoga 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 2025, this was the last time that someone other than a current or former member of Congress was elected to the governorship.
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.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tim Hagan | 467,572 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 467,572 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Taft (incumbent) | 552,491 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 552,491 | 100.00 | ||
Taft was the favorite, and Hagan struggled with fundraising.[10] Hagan, who was married to Star Trek actressKate 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]
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[15] | Safe R | October 31, 2002 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[16] | Likely R | November 4, 2002 |
| 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% |
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 wonLorain County,Cuyahoga County,Summit County,Trumbull County,Mahoning County, andAthens 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 modernU.S. history. In 2006 DemocratTed Strickland would easily go on to defeat RepublicanOhio Secretary of StateKen Blackwell. It resulted in a gain for the Democrats, and was the first time they had obtained the governorship in 16 years.
| 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 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
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