See also: 2010 United States gubernatorial elections.
| Election Name: | 2010 Ohio gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Ohio |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | Yes |
| Previous Election: | 2006 Ohio gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2014 Ohio gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 2014 |
| Election Date: | November 2, 2010 |
| Image1: | File:Governor John Kasich.jpg |
| Nominee1: | John Kasich |
| Running Mate1: | Mary Taylor |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,889,186 |
| Percentage1: | 49.04% |
| Running Mate2: | Yvette Brown |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,812,059 |
| Percentage2: | 47.04% |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Ted Strickland |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | John Kasich |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 2010 Ohio gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor Ted Strickland ran for re-election to a second term as governor and was opposed by former U.S. Representative John Kasich; both Strickland and Kasich won their respective primaries uncontested. The race between the two major candidates was prolonged and brutal, with both candidates employing various campaign surrogates to bolster their campaigns. Ultimately, Kasich defeated Strickland.
Strickland's defeat was widely attributed to the decline of Ohio's economy, as well as the loss of 400,000 jobs since the beginning of his term. The policies of the then-president Barack Obama proved to be a hot topic among voters, with Strickland voicing his support for the healthcare overhauls initiated by Obama's administration, contrary to Kasich, who opposed the policies.[1] As of 2023, this is the last time an incumbent governor of Ohio lost re-election.
| Source | Ranking | As of | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report[2] | October 14, 2010 | ||
| Rothenberg[3] | October 28, 2010 | ||
| RealClearPolitics[4] | November 1, 2010 | ||
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[5] | October 28, 2010 | ||
| CQ Politics[6] | October 28, 2010 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Ted Strickland (D) | John Kasich (R) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling | October 28–30, 2010 | 48% | align=center | 49% | |
| Angus Reid Public Opinion | October 27–29, 2010 | 46% | align=center | 49% | |
| Survey USA | October 22–26, 2010 | 44% | align=center | 49% | |
| Quinnipiac University | October 18–24, 2010 | 43% | align=center | 49% | |
| Fox News/POR | October 23, 2010 | 43% | align=center | 47% | |
| CNN/Time Magazine | October 15–19, 2010 | align=center | 48% | 46% | |
| University of Cincinnati | October 14–18, 2010 | 47% | align=center | 49% | |
| Quinnipiac University | October 12–17, 2010 | 41% | align=center | 51% | |
| University of Cincinnati | October 8–13, 2010 | 43% | align=center | 51% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 11, 2010 | 45% | align=center | 48% | |
| Fox News/POR | October 9, 2010 | 42% | align=center | 47% | |
| Angus Reid Public Opinion | October 5–8, 2010 | 46% | align=center | 48% | |
| Quinnipiac University | September 29 – October 3, 2010 | 41% | align=center | 50% | |
| Fox News/POR | October 2, 2010 | 43% | align=center | 49% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 27, 2010 | 42% | align=center | 50% | |
| CBS/NY Times | September 23–27, 2010 | 42% | align=center | 43% | |
| Reuters/Ipsos | September 23–25, 2010 | 46% | align=center | 47% | |
| Ohio Newspapers Poll/UC | September 24, 2010 | 45% | align=center | 49% | |
| SurveyUSA | September 14, 2010 | 40% | align=center | 52% | |
| CNN/Time Magazine | September 10–14, 2010 | 44% | align=center | 51% | |
| Quinnipiac | September 9–14, 2010 | 37% | align=center | 54% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 13, 2010 | 43% | align=center | 50% | |
| Fox News/Pulse Research | September 11, 2010 | 43% | align=center | 48% | |
| The Columbus Dispatch | August 25 – September 3, 2010 | 37% | align=center | 49% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 30, 2010 | 39% | align=center | 47% | |
| Public Policy Polling | August 27–29, 2010 | 40% | align=center | 50% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 16, 2010 | 40% | align=center | 48% | |
| Reuters/Ipsos | August 6–8, 2010 | 39% | align=center | 48% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 2, 2010 | 42% | align=center | 45% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 19, 2010 | 43% | align=center | 48% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 29, 2010 | 40% | align=center | 47% | |
| Public Policy Polling | June 26–27, 2010 | 41% | align=center | 43% | |
| Quinnipiac | June 22–27, 2010 | align=center | 43% | 38% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 3, 2010 | 42% | align=center | 47% | |
| UC/The Ohio Poll | May 11–20, 2010 | align=center | 49% | 44% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | May 5, 2010 | 45% | align=center | 46% | |
| Quinnipiac | April 21–26, 2010 | align=center | 44% | 38% | |
| Research 2000 | April 5–7, 2010 | align=center | 45% | 40% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 30, 2010 | 45% | align=center | 46% | |
| Quinnipiac | March 23–29, 2010 | align=center | 43% | 38% | |
| Public Policy Polling | March 20–21, 2010 | 37% | align=center | 42% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 4, 2010 | 38% | align=center | 49% | |
| Quinnipiac | February 16–21, 2010 | align=center | 44% | 39% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | February 5–6, 2010 | 41% | align=center | 47% | |
| The Ohio Newspaper | January 13–19, 2010 | 45% | align=center | 51% | |
| Ohio Right to Life | January 8–12, 2010 | 33% | align=center | 43% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | January 12, 2010 | 40% | align=center | 47% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | December 7, 2009 | 39% | align=center | 48% | |
| Quinnipiac | November 5–9, 2009 | 40% | 40% | ||
| The Ohio Newspaper | October 14–20, 2009 | align=center | 48% | 47% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 23, 2009 | 45% | align=center | 46% | |
| Quinnipiac | September 10–13, 2009 | align=center | 46% | 36% | |
| Research 2000 | July 8, 2009 | align=center | 44% | 39% | |
| Quinnipiac | June 26 – July 1, 2009 | align=center | 43% | 38% | |
| Public Policy Polling | June 17–19, 2009 | align=center | 44% | 42% | |
| Quinnipiac | April 28 – May 4, 2009 | align=center | 51% | 32% | |
| Quinnipiac | March 10–15, 2009 | align=center | 51% | 31% | |
| Quinnipiac | January 29 – February 2, 2009 | align=center | 56% | 26% | |
| Public Policy Polling | January 17–18, 2009 | align=center | 45% | 39% |
When the polls closed on election night, the race was very close, with Strickland and Kasich neck and neck. As the night wore on, Kasich's lead began to pick up strength, however once Cuyahoga County came in, Kasich's lead began to erode. In the end Kasich still won, but it was one of the closest gubernatorial elections in Ohio history. Strickland conceded at around 2 A.M. EST.