Politics of Ohio

Historically control of Ohio has oscillated between the two major parties. Democrats and Republicans are pretty evenly matched in Ohio government. The governor, Ted Strickland, is a Democrat, as are all other non-judicial statewide elected officials save for one: Lieutenant Governor of Ohio Lee Fisher (D), Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann (D), Ohio State Auditor Mary Taylor (R), Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (D), and Ohio State Treasurer Richard Cordray (D).

In the Ohio State Senate the Republicans have firm control (21-12), while in the Ohio House of Representatives their control is more slight (53-46). The Ohio Congressional Delegation is relatively pared as well. 10 representatives are Republicans, 8 are Democrats. One U.S. senator, George Voinovich, is a Republican, while the other, Sherrod Brown, is a Democrat. All the mayors of the six largest cities in the state (Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, and Dayton) are Democrats.

Due to a close split in party registration and historical electoral importance, Ohio was considered a key battleground state in the 2004 U.S. Presidential election. The state was vital to President George W. Bush's election chances, as it is a state he won by nearly 4 points in 2000 and by the fact that no Republican has ever been elected President without winning Ohio. In the election, the President won the state with 51% of the vote, giving him its 20 electoral votes and the margin he needed in the electoral college for re-election.

However, Ohio's status as a bellwether state may soon end, as its electoral vote total has been declining for decades. For the 2004 election, it has 20 electoral votes, down from 21 in 2000 and down from a peak of 26 in 1968. It is the fewest electoral votes for Ohio since 1828, when it cast 16 electoral votes. Ohio will cast 3.71 percent of the total electoral votes in 2004, the smallest percentage since it cast 3.40 percent of the votes in 1820.