Auditor of State of Ohio
November 5, 2002 · general election · 2 candidates with a page
The candidates
Listed alphabetically by surname. Ohio rotates the order candidates appear in by precinct, so no order on this page is the order on a ballot.
- Operates a private law practice and consulting firm.
- B.A., Bowling Green State University; J.D., University of Toledo College of Law.
- Vice chair, Bowling Green State University Board of Trustees; chair, Jo Ann Davidson Leadership Institute for young women.
8 of 11 sections researched · 11 sources
- Appointed to the Cuyahoga County Board of Revision after leaving Cleveland City Council in 1997.
- B.A., Maryland College of the Sacred Heart; M.A., Case Western Reserve University.
6 of 11 sections researched · 3 sources
Betty Montgomery
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Section | State |
|---|---|
| profile | researched |
| ballot | researched |
| positions | researched |
| claims | not researched |
| record | researched |
| money | researched |
| interests | researched |
| polling | not researched |
| elections | researched |
| endorsements | not researched |
| sources | researched |
Helen Knipe Smith
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Section | State |
|---|---|
| profile | researched |
| ballot | researched |
| positions | researched |
| claims | not researched |
| record | researched |
| money | not researched |
| interests | not researched |
| polling | not researched |
| elections | researched |
| endorsements | not researched |
| sources | researched |
The race in pictures
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
A note on our coverage
Read before the columns: where one candidate has more entries than another, this says which of the two reasons it is.
Where they stand: Betty Montgomery has 5 entries and Helen Knipe Smith has 2 entries. The difference reflects the length of each public record and the depth of our research; it is not a judgment.
Betty Montgomery's record in office has 4 entries and Helen Knipe Smith's has 1. The difference reflects the length of each public record and the depth of our research; it is not a judgment.
Sources: Betty Montgomery has 10 entries and Helen Knipe Smith has 3 entries. The difference reflects the length of each public record and the depth of our research; it is not a judgment.
Jump to a candidate
- Betty Montgomery: Where they stand · What they have said, checked · Record in office · Money
- Helen Knipe Smith: Where they stand · What they have said, checked · Record in office · Money
Where they stand
Their own words, by issue, with the date, the venue and the link. A paraphrase is marked as one.
Consumer protection and debt collection
Betty Montgomery
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Ran for re-election on her first-term record: rebuilding Ohio's crime laboratories with DNA testing capability, a consumer-protection division that would be recognized nationally in 2000 as the country's most outstanding such agency, and being the only Ohio Attorney General to collect over $1 billion owed to the state.
Source: bgsu.edu
Helen Knipe Smith
None found in the records checked
Government ethics
Betty Montgomery
I have to live with myself everyday; my reputation is worth more than a dollar
Source: thelantern.com
Helen Knipe Smith
None found in the records checked
Gun rights
Betty Montgomery
I Support The Second Amendment
Source: buckeyefirearms.org
I don't want to live in a country where everyone is packing heat
Source: buckeyefirearms.org
Helen Knipe Smith
None found in the records checked
School-construction oversight
Betty Montgomery
None found in the records checked
Helen Knipe Smith
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Raised oversight concerns about Ohio's roughly $5 billion school-construction program then ramping up, arguing it needed closer auditing than the state was providing.
Source: thelantern.com
State budget oversight
Betty Montgomery
None found in the records checked
Helen Knipe Smith
These dollars were squandered and wasted through actions that the auditor and attorney general should have questioned
Source: thelantern.com
State fiscal oversight
Betty Montgomery
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Campaigned on continuing and extending the work of outgoing Republican Auditor Jim Petro, casting herself as the more aggressive choice to recover public funds lost through the era's wave of corporate accounting collapses (Enron, WorldCom and similar cases), and pledged vigilant fiscal oversight of Ohio's forthcoming roughly $5 billion school-construction program.
Source: thelantern.com
Helen Knipe Smith
None found in the records checked
What they have said, checked
Newest first. Each check is shown in the checker's own rating word, with their name, the date and the link.
Betty Montgomery
Not yet researched
Helen Knipe Smith
Not yet researched
Record in office
Dated actions. Any evaluation of an action is printed with the name of whoever made it and the link.
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Person | Date | Kind | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery (R) | 1981 | office | Wood County Prosecutor |
| Montgomery (R) | 1989 | office | Ohio State Senate, 2nd District |
| Montgomery (R) | 1995-01 | office | Attorney General of Ohio |
| Montgomery (R) | 2003-01 | office | Auditor of State of Ohio |
| Montgomery (R) | 1995 | action | 1995 (action): As Attorney General, her office's consumer-protection division was recognized nationally in 2000 as the country's 'most outstanding' such ag |
| Montgomery (R) | 1998-11 | action | 1998-11 (action): As part of a coalition of 46 states, her office joined the Master Settlement Agreement ending Ohio's lawsuit against the country's largest c |
| Montgomery (R) | 2003 | action | 2003 (action): As Auditor of State, within her first 18 months her audits identified more than $180 million in misspent tax dollars statewide. |
| Montgomery (R) | 2005 | statement | 2005 (statement): As sitting Auditor of State when the Coingate scandal broke, had accepted campaign contributions from GOP fundraiser Tom Noe before his rare |
| Smith (D) | 1979-03 | office | Cleveland City Council |
| Smith (D) | 1979 | action | 1979 (action): Served roughly 19 years on Cleveland City Council, including as council majority leader (1981) and later chair of the finance committee; a 2 |
Betty Montgomery
-
2005 · statement
As sitting Auditor of State when the Coingate scandal broke, had accepted campaign contributions from GOP fundraiser Tom Noe before his rare-coin investment fraud became public; she -- with Attorney General Jim Petro and Secretary of State Ken Blackwell -- returned a combined $17,100 in Noe-connected donations after the scandal broke.
Source: supreme.findlaw.com
-
2003 · action
As Auditor of State, within her first 18 months her audits identified more than $180 million in misspent tax dollars statewide.
Source: bgsu.edu
-
November 1998 · action
As part of a coalition of 46 states, her office joined the Master Settlement Agreement ending Ohio's lawsuit against the country's largest cigarette manufacturers; she said the litigation was to 'protect public health and prevent underage smoking' and that 'a significant portion of this money should go toward these causes.'
Source: citybeat.com
-
1995 · action
As Attorney General, her office's consumer-protection division was recognized nationally in 2000 as the country's 'most outstanding' such agency, and collected more than $1 billion owed to the state over her two terms.
Source: bgsu.edu
Helen Knipe Smith
-
1979 · action
Served roughly 19 years on Cleveland City Council, including as council majority leader (1981) and later chair of the finance committee; a 2002 campaign profile credited her tenure with contributing to 'the city's revitalization and airport expansion' without itemizing specific votes or projects.
Sources: teachingcleveland.org · thelantern.com
Money
Totals and donors exactly as filed with the FEC or the Ohio Secretary of State, each figure with its filing link.
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Betty Montgomery
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Totals as filed
None found in the records checked
Top donors, as filed
None found in the records checked
Outside spending
None found in the records checked
In-state share
Not yet researched
Helen Knipe Smith
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Totals as filed
Not yet researched
Top donors, as filed
Not yet researched
Outside spending
Not yet researched
In-state share
Not yet researched
The result
Betty Montgomery · certified 2002-11-05
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Betty Montgomery | 2,010,022 | 64.3% |
| Helen Knipe Smith | 1,114,957 | 35.7% |
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Sources
Data from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0: 2002 Ohio State Auditor election · Betty Montgomery · 2006 Ohio Attorney General election · 1998 Ohio Attorney General election
- 2002 Ohio State Auditor election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-21
- Betty Montgomery · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-21
- 2006 Ohio Attorney General election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-21
- Betty D. Montgomery's story · Bowling Green State University · accessed 2026-09-21
- Ohio's 'Coingate' Scandal: How It Exposes the Flaws of Our Campaign Finance System · FindLaw · accessed 2026-09-21
- Betty 'Just call me Kerry' Montgomery begins chase for gun vote · Buckeye Firearms Association · accessed 2026-09-21
- Betty Montgomery Money Profile · OpenSecrets · accessed 2026-09-21
- Candidates contending for state auditor's office · The Lantern, Ohio State University · accessed 2026-09-21
- Ohio's Goal to Spend Tobacco Settlement on Education Is a Cruel Hoax · Cincinnati CityBeat · accessed 2026-09-21
- 1998 Ohio Attorney General election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-21
- Helen K. Smith · Teaching Cleveland Digital · accessed 2026-09-21
Quick answers
When was the 2002 Auditor of State of Ohio election?
The election for Auditor of State of Ohio was held on November 5, 2002.
Who ran for Auditor of State of Ohio in 2002?
On the ballot for Auditor of State of Ohio, in surname order: Betty Montgomery (Republican), Helen Knipe Smith (Democratic).
Who won the 2002 Auditor of State of Ohio election?
Betty Montgomery won the election for Auditor of State of Ohio. Results as certified: Betty Montgomery 64.3%, Helen Knipe Smith 35.7%.
Cite and data
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Auditor of State of Ohio, 2002", https://crackedbuckeye.com/election/2002/auditor/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-10-31