2004 United States Senate election in Ohio

none March 2026 September 2023 2004 United States Senate election in Ohio Ohio presidential no 1998 United States Senate election in Ohio 1998 2010 United States Senate election in Ohio 2010 November 2, 2004 George Voinovich, official photo portrait, 2006 (1).jpg George Voinovich Republican Party (United States) 3,464,651 63.85% Eric Fingerhut 103nd Congress 1993 (1).jpg Eric Fingerhut Democratic Party (United States) 1,961,249 36.14% 210px County results 210px Congressional district results 1 210px Voinovich: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% #c21b18 80–90% Fingerhut: #6674de 60–70% U.S. Senator George Voinovich Republican Party (United States) George Voinovich Republican Party (United States) 71.77% (registered voters) 21.96pp The 2004 United States Senate election in Ohio took place on November 2, 2004. It was concurrent with elections to the United States House of Representatives and the presidential election. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator George Voinovich won re-election to a second term with the highest raw vote total in Ohio history. This remains the last Ohio statewide election to date in which a candidate won every county in the state. This was the first time since 1950 that an incumbent Republican Senator was re-elected to this seat. Republican primary Candidates John Mitchel, retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel and perennial candidateDrew James https://books.google.com/books?id=TVBRAAAAIBAJ&dq=voinovich+john+mitchel&pg=PA10&article_id=6478,3473876 Underdogs challenge 2 veteran candidates Toledo Blade 2004-02-29 B2 en George Voinovich, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1999 Results Republican primaryhttp://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/Research/electResultsMain/2004ElectionsResults/04-0302RepUSSenate.aspx Ohio Secretary of State, 2004 United States Senate Republican primary election results September 7, 2015 March 4, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092533/http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/Research/electResultsMain/2004ElectionsResults/04-0302RepUSSenate.aspx dead George Voinovich (Incumbent) Republican Party (United States) 640,082 76.61% John Mitchel Republican Party (United States) 195,476 23.39% 835,558 100.00% Democratic primary Candidates Norbert Dennerll, former member of the Cleveland city council Eric Fingerhut, state senator and former U.S. representative from Mayfield Heights Declined Jerry Springer, host of The Jerry Springer Show and former mayor of CincinnatiCBS News/AP 2003-07-14 Jerry Springer Nixes Senate Run - CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jerry-springer-nixes-senate-run/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20151123094538/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jerry-springer-nixes-senate-run/ 2015-11-23 2023-08-23 www.cbsnews.com en-US Campaign The early story of the campaign surrounded speculation of whether Jerry Springer would enter the race.AP 2003-07-11 Jerry Springer Eyes U.S. Senate - CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jerry-springer-eyes-us-senate/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20230823201436/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jerry-springer-eyes-us-senate/ 2023-08-23 2023-08-23 www.cbsnews.com en-US Springer, a former mayor of Cincinnati, had previously considered a challenge to the state's other Senator Mike DeWine in 2000, but ultimately passed on it.Associated Press 1999-08-14 National News Briefs; Springer Won't Seek Senate Seat in Ohio (Published 1999) en https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/14/us/national-news-briefs-springer-won-t-seek-senate-seat-in-ohio.html live 2023-08-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20170912100859/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/14/us/national-news-briefs-springer-won-t-seek-senate-seat-in-ohio.html 2017-09-12 Among the steps Springer took, included filing papers to runSusman Gary 2003-07-11 Jerry Springer will file papers for Senate run https://ew.com/article/2003/07/11/jerry-springer-will-file-papers-senate-run/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20210412015837/https://ew.com/article/2003/07/11/jerry-springer-will-file-papers-senate-run/ 2021-04-12 2023-08-23 EW.com en traveling across the state to meet voters,McCarthy John 2003-08-01 Springer could not separate from show https://www.cleveland19.com/story/1384574/springer-could-not-separate-from-show live https://web.archive.org/web/20230823203037/https://www.cleveland19.com/story/1384574/springer-could-not-separate-from-show/ 2023-08-23 2023-08-23 Cleveland 19 en and airing a nationwide 30 minute infomercial for the purpose of fundraising.Associated Press https://books.google.com/books?id=5_ohAAAAIBAJ&dq=JERRY+SPRINGER+SENATE&pg=PA6&article_id=4460,6498123 Jerry Springer takes steps for Senate Race Reading Eagle 2003-07-15 A10 en The infomercial would not be seen in Ohio due to equal time laws. Ultimately, Springer declined a return to public office, citing his inability to distance himself from his infamous talk show's reputation.Whittington Lauren W. 2003-08-08 The Other Candidate https://www.rollcall.com/2003/08/08/the-other-candidate/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20210120142600/https://rollcall.com/2003/08/08/the-other-candidate/ 2021-01-20 2023-08-23 Roll Call en He also cited his show's contract as playing a role.Drew James https://books.google.com/books?id=QGJPAAAAIBAJ&dq=jerry+springer+ohio+senate+1999&pg=PA3&article_id=6617,1656375 Springer won't seek U.S. Senate nomination Toledo Blade 2003-08-07 4A en In all, Springer spent a little over $1 million of his own money on his exploratory campaign.Whittington Lauren W. 2003-10-17 Springer Spent $1.1M Not to Run https://www.rollcall.com/2003/10/17/springer-spent-1-1m-not-to-run/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20200807162826/https://rollcall.com/2003/10/17/springer-spent-1-1m-not-to-run/ 2020-08-07 2023-08-23 Roll Call en Had he run, Springer would have faced obstacles, as polling showed that as much as 71% of voters polled held an unfavorable view of him.McCarthy John 2003-05-11 Can Jerry Springer get your vote? https://www.morningjournal.com/2003/05/11/can-jerry-springer-get-your-vote/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20230823203710/https://www.morningjournal.com/2003/05/11/can-jerry-springer-get-your-vote/amp/ 2023-08-23 2023-08-23 Morning Journal en-US That same poll also showed that in a prospective contest, Voinovich lead with 77% of the vote to Springer's 16%.Skolnick David https://books.google.com/books?id=fnhcAAAAIBAJ&dq=fingerhut+voinovich&pg=PA5&article_id=2581,4758408 In poll, Voinovich tops Fingerhut and TV's Springer. The Vindicator 2003-03-11 B3 en After his brief exploration, Springer hinted that in 2006, he would be interested in the open governorship and declined to rule out a Senate bid that year.Noah Timothy 2004-07-29 Rehabilitation Watch en-US Slate https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2004/07/jerry-springer-rehabilitation-watch.html live 2023-08-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20230823210746/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2004/07/jerry-springer-rehabilitation-watch.html 2023-08-23 1091-2339 Ultimately, he would pursue neither bid. After Springer declined to enter, Fingerhut was seen as the favorite to win the nomination. He only faced token opposition from Norbert Dennerll, a former City Councilman who served in the late 50's and early 60's. Results Democratic primaryhttp://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/Research/electResultsMain/2004ElectionsResults/04-0302DemUSSenate.aspx Ohio Secretary of State, 2004 United States Senate Democratic primary election results September 7, 2015 March 4, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092522/http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/Research/electResultsMain/2004ElectionsResults/04-0302DemUSSenate.aspx dead Eric Fingerhut Democratic Party (United States) 672,989 70.79% Norbert Dennerll Democratic Party (United States) 277,721 29.21% 950,710 100.00% General election Candidates Eric Fingerhut, state senator and former U.S. representative from Mayfield Heights (Democratic) Helen Meyers (write-in) George Voinovich, incumbent senator since 1999 and former governor (Republican) Campaign A popular U.S. Senator, Voinovich was the heavy favorite to win the election virtually from the start. He had over $9 million in the bank, while his opponent barely had $1.5 million.Archives. Product site http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AK&s_site=ohio&p_multi=AK&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=105F8769674F4B04&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Newsbank 2010-05-12 2011-06-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20110609041147/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AK&s_site=ohio&p_multi=AK&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=105F8769674F4B04&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM dead Fingerhut tried to draw attention to his candidacy by walking over 300 miles across the state and meeting with voters.Cleveland 19 2004-08-30 Candidate for U.S. Senate to walk 310 miles in Ohioans shoes https://www.cleveland19.com/story/2233687/candidate-for-us-senate-to-walk-310-miles-in-ohioans-shoes live https://web.archive.org/web/20230823214607/https://www.cleveland19.com/story/2233687/candidate-for-us-senate-to-walk-310-miles-in-ohioans-shoes/ 2023-08-23 2023-08-23 Cleveland 19 en However, he still faced long odds, with many Democratic officials ignoring his campaign and voters not believing in his chances. 2004-04-02 Several Mahoning Valley Democratic officials are simply avoiding their party's nominee for the U.S. Senate https://vindyarchives.com/news/2004/apr/02/several-mahoning-valley-democratic-officials-are/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20230823220136/https://vindyarchives.com/news/2004/apr/02/several-mahoning-valley-democratic-officials-are/ 2023-08-23 2023-08-23 The Vindicator ArchivesSkolnick David https://books.google.com/books?id=f2RIAAAAIBAJ&dq=fingerhut+voinovich&pg=PA20&article_id=1348,8185956 Fingerhut sets sights on Voinovich's seat The Vindicator 2003-10-29 B4 en Voinovich's biggest advantage was getting support from the most Democratic-leaning county in the state, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Kerry carried it with almost 67% of the vote, by far his best performance in the state in 2004. It is the home of Cleveland and it is also most populous county in the state. Voinovich was a former mayor of Cleveland. In addition, he catered to Cleveland's large Jewish population by visiting Israel six times as a first-term U.S. Senator. He also consistently voted for aid to Israel through foreign appropriations bills. He's supported resolutions reaffirming Israel's right to self-defense and condemned Palestinian terrorist attacks.Cleveland Jewish News October 15, 2004 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-109160310.html https://web.archive.org/web/20121104024352/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-109160310.html November 4, 2012 Voinovich: a trusted, experienced voice HighBeam Research subscription usurped In addition, Fingerhut's home base was in the Cleveland area, and therefore he had to cut in through the incumbent's home base in order to even make the election close. In a September University of Cincinnati poll, the incumbent led 64% to 34%.http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DDNB&p_theme=ddnb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=105794F4CD09DFA5&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Newsbank Archives. DDNB Theme 2010-05-12 2011-06-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20110609041157/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DDNB&p_theme=ddnb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=105794F4CD09DFA5&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM dead In an October ABC News poll, Voinovich was winning 60% to 35%. He led across almost all demographic groups. Only Democrats, non-whites, liberals, and those who pick health care as their #1 issue favor Fingerhut. The election coincided with the presidential election, where Ohio was a swing state. 27% of Voinovich's supporters preferred U.S. Senator John Kerry for president.https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=178949 Poll: Advantage Kerry in Ohio Race ABC News Predictions Source Ranking As of Sabato's Crystal BallThe Final Predictions https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/ljs2004110101/ Sabato's Crystal Ball May 2, 2021 Safe R November 1, 2004 Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesizekey Key:A – all adultsRV – registered votersLV – likely votersV – unclear Marginof error GeorgeVoinovich (R) EricFingerhut (D) Other /UndecidedSurveyUSASurveyUSA October 29–31, 2004 813 (LV) ± 3.5% 61% 33% 5% Results 2004 United States Senate election, OhioOhio Secretary of State, 2004 United States Senate general election results Republican Party (United States) George Voinovich (Incumbent) 3,464,651 63.85% Democratic Party (United States) Eric Fingerhut 1,961,249 36.14% Independent (United States) Helen Meyers (write-in) 296 0.01% 5,426,196 100.00% Republican Party (United States) Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Monroe (Largest city: Woodsfield) Cuyahoga (Largest city: Cleveland) Mahoning (Largest city: Youngstown) Trumbull (Largest city: Warren) Summit (Largest city: Akron) Lorain (largest municipality: Lorain) Portage (largest city: Kent) Belmont (largest city: Martins Ferry) Jefferson (largest city: Steubenville) Harrison (Largest city: Cadiz) Perry (Largest city: New Lexington) Pike (Largest city: Waverly) Athens (Largest city: Athens) By congressional district Voinovich won 17 of 18 congressional districts, including 6 that have Democratic congressman and 5 that voted for John Kerry in the presidential race.https://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/election-results-and-data/2000-elections-results/ 2000 elections results April 2022 Frank LaRose District Voinovich Fingerhut RepresentativeOhio 1 1st 60% 40%Steve Chabot Ohio 2 2nd72%28%Rob PortmanJean SchmidtOhio 3 3rd 66% 34%Mike TurnerOhio 4 4th 73% 27%Mike OxleyOhio 5 5th 72% 28%Paul GillmorOhio 6 6th 62% 38%Ted StricklandOhio 7 7th 69% 31%David Hobson Ohio 8 8th 73% 27%John Boehner Ohio 9 9th 58% 42%Marcy KapturOhio 10 10th 61% 39%Dennis KucinichOhio 11 11th 39% 61%Stephanie Tubbs Jones Ohio 12 12th 65% 35%Pat TiberiOhio 13 13th 59% 41%Sherrod BrownOhio 14 14th 66% 34%Steven LaTouretteOhio 15 15th 63% 37%Deborah Pryce Ohio 16 16th 67% 33%Ralph RegulaOhio 17 17th 51% 49%Tim RyanOhio 18 18th 68% 32%Bob Ney See also 2004 United States Senate elections Notes References 30em External links Candidates at Vote Smart Campaign finance at FEC Campaign finance at OpenSecrets Official campaign websites (archived) George Voinovich Eric Fingerhut Debates Ohio Senate General Election Debate on C-SPAN, October 22, 2004 United States Senate Ohio 2004