GOP's John Kasich Takes Down Ted Strickland in Ohio Governor's Race

In a state badly hurting from the recession, Republican challenger John Kasich narrowly defeated Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland in one of the most closely watched races in the nation.

Kasich's triumph Tuesday capped a GOP sweep of statewide executive offices, including attorney general, secretary of state, auditor and treasurer.

Kasich pumped both fists in the air as he took the stage at the GOP victory party in Columbus about 1:15 a.m., according to The Plain Dealer. "Guess what?" he shouted to supporters. "I'm going to be governor of Ohio. . . . We have to do it together and rebuild this state together."

He took 49 percent of the vote, edging out Democrat Strickland, who finished with 47 percent and appeared to have momentum in the closing days. President Obama and Vice President Biden had appeared together on his behalf in Cleveland on Sunday.

Various polls had shown Kasich in the lead for months, often by double digits, and while the gap shrank significantly in the past few weeks, it wasn't enough for Democrats to hold the governor's chair. More than $25 million was spent on the race just by the two major candidates, not taking into account independent expenditures by outside groups.

"I think we can have great progress in Ohio within one year. I absolutely believe that we can begin to turn this around," Kasich told Politics Daily last month. Despite a projected budget shortfall that could hit $8 billion and force unpopular decisions about budget and program cuts, Kasich promised tax cuts, a reduction in government regulation and an aggressive economic development program headed up by private sector CEOs.
Always a state to watch, the Obama administration and the Democratic Party paid a great deal of attention to Ohio and especially its governor's race. Since taking office, Obama has visited Ohio a dozen times. Just two days before the election, Obama and Biden appeared at a rally for Strickland and other state Democrats: Two weeks earlier the president and first lady appeared at another campaign event at Ohio State University in Columbus.