2010 Ohio Attorney General election
The 2010 Ohio Attorney General election was held on November 6, 2010, concurrently with other statewide offices including a Class 1 Senate election as well as the Governor election. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Richard Cordray who was elected in a 2008 special election ran for a full 4-year term but was defeated by Republican challenger and former 2-term United States senator Mike DeWine. Being decided by 1.2%, this was the closest statewide election in Ohio. Cordray and DeWine would later face off against each other again in the 2018 Governor election.
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 County results DeWine: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
In 2008 then Ohio State Treasurer Richard Cordray ascended to the office of Attorney General following his victory in a 2008 special election triggered by the resignation of Marc Dann. Cordray won his election in a landslide winning by 18 percentage points being held concurrently with the Presidential election when Barack Obama carried the state by a bit under 5 percentage points. During Cordray's tenure, he got involved in cases against the Bank of America Corporation as well as the American International Group.
In 2009 former United States Senator Mike DeWine announced he would seek the office of Attorney General, 3 years after Sherrod Brown defeated him in the 2006 election.[1] Due to the growing unpopularity of the Obama administration many political observers predicted 2010 would be a tough year for Democrats. As such, polling predicted that DeWine had a narrow edge over Cordray.[2]
Democratic primary
Declared
- Richard Cordray, incumbent Attorney General, former Ohio State Treasurer, former Ohio House of Representatives member from the 33rd district, former Treasurer of Franklin County, former Solicitor General of Ohio, nominee for OH-15 in 1992, nominee for Attorney General in 1998, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2000.[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard Cordray (Incumbent) | 558,810 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 558,810 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Declared
- Mike DeWine, former U.S. Senator, former lieutenant governor of Ohio, and former U.S. Representative.[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike DeWine | 687,507 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 687,507 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Dates administered | Richard Cordray (D) |
Mike DeWine (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | September 10–13, 2010 | 40% | 47% |
| The Columbus Dispatch | August 25 – September 3, 2010 | 42% | 44% |
| Public Policy Polling | August 27–29, 2010 | 40% | 44% |
| Public Policy Polling | June 26–27, 2010 | 41% | 44% |
Endorsements
- Newspapers
- Organizations
- Buckeye Firearms Association[10]
- Canton Police Patrolman's Association[11]
- Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association[12]
- Toledo Police Command Officers Association[13]
- Toledo Police Patrolmen's Association[14]
- Troopers for a Safer Ohio[15]
- Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association[16]
- NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio
- Unions
- Organizations
- Ohio Right to Life
- Ohio Veterans United
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike DeWine | 1,821,414 | 47.54 | +9.13% | |
| Democratic | Richard Cordray (incumbent) | 1,772,728 | 46.26 | -10.46% | |
| Constitution | Robert Owens | 130,065 | 3.39 | N/A | |
| Libertarian | Marc Allan Feldman | 107,521 | 2.81 | N/A | |
| Total votes | 3,729,428 | 100.00 | N/A | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
Footnotes
- "Mike DeWine will run for Ohio attorney general". 22 July 2009.
- "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #17045". 13 September 2010.
- "Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray Has Announced He'll Run for Re-election". 16 February 2010.
- "Our Campaigns - OH Attorney General - R Primary Race - May 04, 2010".
- "Mike DeWine will run for Ohio attorney general". 22 July 2009.
- "Our Campaigns - OH Attorney General - R Primary Race - May 04, 2010".
- "Cincy Enquirer Endorses Cordray, Pepper, Boyce | OhioDaily". www.ohiodailyblog.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- "Endorsement: Cordray for attorney general | the Columbus Dispatch". www.dispatch.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- "The Plain Dealer endorses Richard Cordray for attorney general of Ohio: Editorial". 6 October 2010.
- "Buckeye Firearms Association endorses Richard Cordray for Ohio Attorney General | Buckeye Firearms Association".
- "Every law enforcement group in State has endorsed Cordray | Glass City Jungle". glasscityjungle.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- "Every law enforcement group in State has endorsed Cordray | Glass City Jungle". glasscityjungle.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- "Every law enforcement group in State has endorsed Cordray | Glass City Jungle". glasscityjungle.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- "Every law enforcement group in State has endorsed Cordray | Glass City Jungle". glasscityjungle.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- "Every law enforcement group in State has endorsed Cordray | Glass City Jungle". glasscityjungle.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- "Every law enforcement group in State has endorsed Cordray | Glass City Jungle". glasscityjungle.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- "ATTORNEY GENERAL: NOVEMBER 2, 2010. Amended Official Results". Ohio Secretary of State.