Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election.

Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Ohio was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018.

The governor also sits on the seven-member commission responsible for drawing new state legislative district maps. Under Ohio state law, the governor may veto congressional district maps proposed by the state legislature and sits on the seven-member commission responsible for drawing a congressional district map in the event the legislature is unable to settle on a proposal. The winner of this election stood to influence the state's redistricting process following the 2020 census. At the time of the election, Ohio had been a Republican trifecta since Republicans gained a majority in the state House and John Kasich (R) took office as governor in 2010. Election forecasters considered the race to be close as of November 2018, the race was rated Toss-up by three elections forecasters.ĭeWine's victory preserved the state's Republican trifecta. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) carried the state by a margin of 8 percentage points. Of the ten preceding gubernatorial elections, a Republican candidate won seven-including Kasich's victories in 20-and a Democratic candidate won three.

Kasich was last elected in 2014 by a margin of 31 percentage points. Incumbent John Kasich (R) was prevented from seeking election to a third term due to term limits, leaving the seat open. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine (R) defeated former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray (D), Constance Gadell-Newton (G), and Travis Irvine (L) in the general election for governor of Ohio on November 6, 2018. Federal and state primary competitivenessīallotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018

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