2010 Ohio gubernatorial election


The 2010 Ohio gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor Ted Strickland ran for a second term and was opposed by former U.S. Representative John Kasich; both Strickland and Kasich won their respective primaries uncontested. Ultimately, Kasich defeated Strickland by a 2% margin.
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. As of 2025, this is the last time the Ohio Governor's office changed partisan control, and the last Ohio gubernatorial election where the incumbent was defeated.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Republican primary

Candidates

Libertarian primary

Candidates

  • Ken Matesz

Green primary

Candidates

General election

Results

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.

By county

;Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican