1978 Ohio gubernatorial election

1978 Ohio gubernatorial election
	County results ; Rhodes: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Celeste: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Governor before election; Jim Rhodes; Republican	Elected Governor ; Jim Rhodes; Republican

The 1978 Ohio gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Jim Rhodes defeated Democratic nominee Dick Celeste with 49.31% of the vote.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on June 6, 1978.^[1]

Democratic primary results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dick Celeste	491,524	84.80
	Democratic	Dale R. Reusch	88,134	15.20
Total votes			579,658	100.00

Republican primary results^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Rhodes (incumbent)	393,632	67.73
	Republican	Charles Kurfess	187,544	32.27
Total votes			581,176	100.00

Major party candidates

Other candidates

1978 Ohio gubernatorial election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jim Rhodes (incumbent)	1,402,167	49.31%	+0.69%
	Democratic	Dick Celeste	1,354,631	47.64%	−0.61%
	Independent	Patricia Wright	35,164	1.24%	N/A
	Independent	John O'Neill	29,413	1.03%	N/A
	Independent	Allan Friedman	21,951	0.77%	N/A
Majority			47,536
Turnout			2,843,326
	Republican hold		Swing

^ ^a ^b "Democratic Primary: June 6, 1978". Sos.state.oh.us. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
^ "Republican Primary: June 6, 1978". Sos.state.oh.us. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
^ "General Election Overview: November 7, 1978". Sos.state.oh.us. Retrieved October 8, 2018.