Governor of Ohio
November 6, 2018 · 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.
8 of 11 sections researched · 15 sources
10 of 11 sections researched · 43 sources
Also on the ballot, with no page yet
Constance Gadell-Newton (Green) · Travis Irvine (Independent)
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.
Endorsements received: Mike DeWine has 1 entry and Richard Cordray has 0 entries. The difference reflects the length of each public record and the depth of our research; it is not a judgment.
Where they stand: Mike DeWine has 9 entries and Richard Cordray has 2 entries. The difference reflects the length of each public record and the depth of our research; it is not a judgment.
Mike DeWine's record in office has 14 entries and Richard Cordray's has 3. The difference reflects the length of each public record and the depth of our research; it is not a judgment.
Sources: Mike DeWine has 55 entries and Richard Cordray has 14 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
- Richard Cordray: Where they stand · What they have said, checked · Record in office · Money
- Mike DeWine: 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
Richard Cordray
None found in the records checked
Mike DeWine
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Campaigned on continuing his first-term Economic Crimes Unit and new telecommunications-fraud subpoena authority against scam artists targeting Ohioans, including the elderly.
Economic development
Richard Cordray
None found in the records checked
Mike DeWine
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Touted his administration's economic-development record as governor, above all landing Intel's $20 billion semiconductor factory near Columbus, along with other large manufacturing investment (Honda, Ford), as proof of job creation.
Source: ballotpedia.org
Healthcare
Richard Cordray
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Pledged to protect the ACA's pre-existing-condition coverage protections and to take on drug companies and insurance companies to protect health care.
Source: daytondailynews.com
Mike DeWine
None found in the records checked
Medicaid expansion
Richard Cordray
None found in the records checked
Mike DeWine
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
After years opposing the ACA and Medicaid expansion as attorney general and initially calling expansion 'financially unsustainable' while proposing a federal-waiver 'third way,' announced in July 2018 that a DeWine-Husted administration would keep the expanded Medicaid coverage, citing its role in addiction treatment.
Source: politifact.com
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
After years opposing the ACA and Medicaid expansion as attorney general and initially calling expansion 'financially unsustainable' while proposing a federal-waiver 'third way,' announced in July 2018 that a DeWine-Husted administration would keep the expanded Medicaid coverage, citing its role in addiction treatment.
Source: politifact.com
Opioid crisis
Richard Cordray
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Pledged to declare a state of emergency immediately and increase funding for opioid treatment and social-services programs.
Source: daytondailynews.com
Mike DeWine
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
A 12-point plan on the opioid crisis: create a Cabinet-level position for the issue, expand drug courts to every county, increase drug-trafficking task forces, add prevention education at every school grade level, and direct money recovered from his office's lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors toward treatment.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
A 12-point plan on the opioid crisis: create a Cabinet-level position for the issue, expand drug courts to every county, increase drug-trafficking task forces, add prevention education at every school grade level, and direct money recovered from his office's lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors toward treatment.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
my office has battled the prescription pill and heroin epidemic from my first day in office with a multi-faceted grassroots approach
Sports betting
Richard Cordray
None found in the records checked
Mike DeWine
did not anticipate ... the massive, massive amount of money that these gambling companies would come in
Source: ohiocapitaljournal.com
Taxes
Richard Cordray
None found in the records checked
Mike DeWine
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Highlighted tax cuts he signed as governor: budgets cutting Ohio income taxes by a cumulative $2.2 billion, eliminating the state income tax for filers earning up to $25,000, and cutting the top income-tax bracket, eliminated entirely in the 2021 budget.
Source: ballotpedia.org
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.
Richard Cordray
Not yet researched
Mike DeWine
None found in the records checked
Record in office
Dated actions. Any evaluation of an action is printed with the name of whoever made it and the link.
Richard Cordray
-
November 2017 · action
Resigned as CFPB Director in November 2017, before his term expired, to run for governor.
House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, per CNN Money:
Personal political ambitions
· the sourceSource: money.cnn.com
-
2016 · ruling
As CFPB Director, Cordray's single-director enforcement action against PHH Corp. (raising an initial $6 million fine to $109 million) was found by a D.C. Circuit panel to be an abuse of discretion; the same panel's ruling in PHH Corp. v. CFPB held the bureau's single-director structure unconstitutional.
Sources: reason.com · housingwire.com
-
2010 · action
As Ohio Attorney General (2009-2011), sued or settled with major Wall Street firms and recovered roughly $2 billion for Ohio pension funds, investors, schools and cities, including a $475 million Merrill Lynch settlement, $400 million from Marsh & McLennan, and roughly $725 million from AIG.
Mike DeWine
-
September 2022 · statement
Refused to debate Democratic nominee Nan Whaley in the 2022 general election, arguing there was no need to debate given his lead in the polls, even as a Suffolk University poll found 84 percent of Ohio voters wanted to see statewide debates.
Multiple Ohio editorial boards and commentators, per the Ohio Capital Journal and WVXU:
Incredibly disappointing
· the sourceSources: ohiocapitaljournal.com · wvxu.org
-
July 2022 · action
Signed a law banning abortion around six weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest, which took effect after the June 2022 Dobbs decision; the Ohio Capital Journal reported on resulting cases, including a 10-year-old rape victim who had to leave the state for care.
Sources: ohiocapitaljournal.com · ohiocapitaljournal.com
-
March 15, 2022 · bill
Signed 2022 legislation eliminating the training and background-check requirement for concealed carry ('permitless carry') and removing Ohioans' duty to retreat before using lethal force, after proposing tougher gun measures following the 2019 Dayton mass shooting.
Nan Whaley and gun-safety advocates, per the Ohio Capital Journal:
cowardly inaction
· the sourceSource: ohiocapitaljournal.com
-
2021 · vote
As a Republican member of the Ohio Redistricting Commission, voted multiple times in 2021-2022 to approve congressional and state legislative district maps that the Ohio Supreme Court repeatedly struck down, 4-3, as unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders.
The Ohio Supreme Court, in case rulings summarized by Court News Ohio:
unduly favored a political party in violation of the Ohio Constitution
· the sourceSources: courtnewsohio.gov · courtnewsohio.gov
-
July 2019 · bill
Signed House Bill 6, Ohio's nuclear and coal-plant subsidy law, in July 2019. Calendar and text records show he met repeatedly with FirstEnergy executives and then-House Speaker Larry Householder around the time the bill was crafted, and FirstEnergy secretly funneled about $2.5 million to help his 2018 campaign; DeWine says the money did not influence his decision to sign the bill.
Source: ohiocapitaljournal.com
-
February 2018 · action
As Attorney General, filed suit against opioid distributors, following a 2017 suit against opioid manufacturers, over practices Ohio's filings said fueled the state's overdose crisis.
Richard Cordray, June 4, 2018, per PolitiFact:
Opioid deaths have tripled on his watch and there have been cuts to funds for first responders and people in the community fighting the crisis.
· the sourceSource: en.wikipedia.org
-
February 2018 · action
As Attorney General, filed suit against opioid distributors, following a 2017 suit against opioid manufacturers, over practices Ohio's filings said fueled the state's overdose crisis.
Richard Cordray, June 4, 2018, per PolitiFact:
Opioid deaths have tripled on his watch and there have been cuts to funds for first responders and people in the community fighting the crisis.
· the sourceSource: en.wikipedia.org
-
February 2018 · action
As Attorney General, announced completion of Ohio's Sexual Assault Kit Testing Initiative: roughly 13,931 previously untested rape kits submitted by local police departments were tested, resulting in the indictment of an estimated 700 alleged offenders and 8,617 DNA profiles uploaded to CODIS with 5,098 matches.
Source: ohioattorneygeneral.gov
-
February 2018 · action
As Attorney General, announced completion of Ohio's Sexual Assault Kit Testing Initiative: roughly 13,931 previously untested rape kits submitted by local police departments were tested, resulting in the indictment of an estimated 700 alleged offenders and 8,617 DNA profiles uploaded to CODIS with 5,098 matches.
Source: ohioattorneygeneral.gov
-
2018 · action
Campaign received about $12,500 in contributions from donors tied to ECOT, the online charter school later found to have overstated enrollment; the contribution was donated to the Boys and Girls Club once the issue became public. DeWine's office had also filed a complaint in 2018 to recover public funds from individuals and companies tied to ECOT.
Sources: politifact.com · daytondailynews.com
-
2018 · action
Campaign received about $12,500 in contributions from donors tied to ECOT, the online charter school later found to have overstated enrollment; the contribution was donated to the Boys and Girls Club once the issue became public. DeWine's office had also filed a complaint in 2018 to recover public funds from individuals and companies tied to ECOT.
Sources: politifact.com · daytondailynews.com
-
2014 · action
During the 2014 campaign, opponent David Pepper alleged a pattern in which law firms won a share of DeWine's debt-collection and special-counsel work shortly after making large campaign contributions, tallying donations from firms later selected for the panel at $359,000 since 2010.
DeWine's campaign, per the Washington Examiner:
has no idea who contributes" [to his campaign] and "plenty of people gave money and didn't get work
· the sourceSource: Four More Years of 'Pay-to-Play' if DeWine Returns as Ohio AG, Says Dem Challenger
-
2014 · action
As Attorney General, ran the Sexual Assault Kit Testing Initiative; by the 2014 campaign, 8,001 kits had been submitted statewide and 4,108 tested, producing 1,474 CODIS database matches.
Source: Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine Announces Completion of Sexual Assault Kit Testing Initiative
-
July 2013 · action
Announced his office would defend Ohio's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, appealed an adverse district-court ruling to the Sixth Circuit in January 2014, and, two days after his November 2014 re-election, won a Sixth Circuit ruling upholding the ban.
Money
Totals and donors exactly as filed with the FEC or the Ohio Secretary of State, each figure with its filing link.
Richard Cordray
OhioSOS, as of December 31, 2018: raised $19,567,016, spent $16,900,000.
Source: transparencyusa.org
Top donors, as filed
-
Ohio Democratic Party · $3,985,083 · party committee · In state
Party committee
Source: transparencyusa.org
-
American Federation of Teachers and Ohio's NEA affiliate · $1,000,000 · PAC · In state
Teachers' unions
Source: dispatch.com
Mike DeWine
OhioSOS, as of June 30, 2022: raised $15,081,386, spent $6,800,936.
Sources: news.ballotpedia.org · news.ballotpedia.org
OhioSOS, as of December 31, 2018: raised $16,400,000, spent $35,600,000.
Sources: wosu.org · dispatch.com
OhioSOS, as of December 31, 2018: raised $16,400,000, spent $35,600,000.
Sources: wosu.org · dispatch.com
OhioSOS, as of April 3, 2015: raised $7,825,691.
Source: Ohio Attorney General election, 2014
Top donors, as filed
-
Ohio Republican State Central & Executive Committee State Candidate Fund · $1,959,075 · party committee · In state
Party committee
Source: news.ballotpedia.org
-
Ohio Republican PAC · $520,784 · PAC · In state
Party committee
Source: news.ballotpedia.org
-
FirstEnergy Solutions · $500,000 · party committee · In state
Electric utility subsidiary
Source: en.wikipedia.org
-
FirstEnergy Solutions · $500,000 · party committee · In state
Electric utility subsidiary
Source: en.wikipedia.org
-
FirstEnergy Corp. · $56,750 · campaign committee · In state
Electric utility
-
John A. Payiavlas · $44,804 · campaign committee · In state
Cleveland-area bail-bonds and entertainment businessman
Source: news.ballotpedia.org
-
Eric Wagenbrenner · $35,650 · campaign committee · In state
Columbus real-estate developer, Wagenbrenner Companies
Source: news.ballotpedia.org
Outside spending
-
· as of December 20, 2022
Source: ohiocapitaljournal.com
The result
Mike DeWine · certified 2018-12
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mike DeWine | 2,235,825 | 50.4% |
| Richard Cordray | 2,070,046 | 46.7% |
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Sources
Data from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0: 2018 Ohio gubernatorial election · Richard Cordray · 2010 Ohio Attorney General election · 2022 Ohio gubernatorial election · Mike DeWine · Ohio FirstEnergy bribery scandal · 2014 Ohio Attorney General election
- 2018 Ohio gubernatorial election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Mike DeWine · Ballotpedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Richard Cordray · Ballotpedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Richard Cordray · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- 2010 Ohio Attorney General election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Governor Race: What you need to know about Richard Cordray, where he stands on issues · Dayton Daily News · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Attorney General Fights Against Wall Street · CNBC · 2010-10-12 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Attorney General Fights Wall Street Wrongs · NPR · 2009-12-07 · accessed 2026-09-19
- A Limited Victory for Limited Government · Reason · 2016-10-11 · accessed 2026-09-19
- PHH vs. CFPB: Cordray won't be around to see the outcome of the case · HousingWire · accessed 2026-09-19
- Cordray resignation sets off scramble over Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · CNN Money · 2017-11-24 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Richard Cordray - Ohio Candidate · Transparency USA · accessed 2026-09-19
- Teacher unions plunk $1 million behind Richard Cordray · The Columbus Dispatch · 2018-10-12 · accessed 2026-09-19
- CFPB Director Richard Cordray biography · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · accessed 2026-09-19
- Cordray leads GOP's DeWine by 5 points in Ohio governor's race: poll · The Hill · accessed 2026-09-19
- https://www.transparencyusa.org/oh/committee/cordraysutton-committee-562-can/contributors?cycle=2018-election-cycle
- 2022 Ohio gubernatorial election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Mike DeWine · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Trump endorses Ohio Gov. DeWine in reelection bid · WOSU Public Media · 2022-09-08 · accessed 2026-09-19
- The 2022 Elections in Ohio · Marist Poll · 2022-10 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Poll shows comfortable lead for Gov. DeWine despite close statewide races · Spectrum News 1 · 2022-10-21 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Governor: DeWine 55% Whaley 32% ... US Senate Ryan 46% Vance 43% · Siena College Research Institute · 2022-09-27 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Congressional Map Ruled Unconstitutional · Court News Ohio · accessed 2026-09-19
- New Ohio Legislative District Maps Unconstitutional · Court News Ohio · accessed 2026-09-19
- Texts, calendars, emails link DeWine to FirstEnergy's bribery scandal · Ohio Capital Journal · 2022-08-15 · accessed 2026-09-19
- DeWine signs law removing training, background check, permitting requirement to conceal carry · Ohio Capital Journal · 2022-03-15 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Three years after Dayton shooting, Whaley calls out DeWine for 'cowardly inaction' on gun violence · The Statehouse News Bureau · 2022-08-04 · accessed 2026-09-19
- DeWine claims 'great progress' for families. Data say something else · Ohio Capital Journal · 2022-08-10 · accessed 2026-09-19
- 10-year-old rape victim apparently not among Ohio Gov. DeWine's 'most vulnerable' needing protection · Ohio Capital Journal · 2022-07-08 · accessed 2026-09-19
- DeWine claims concern for 'vulnerable,' still won't talk about children who now have to have babies · Ohio Capital Journal · 2022-07-27 · accessed 2026-09-19
- 'Incredibly disappointing:' Gov. DeWine, Vance say no to debates · Ohio Capital Journal · 2022-09-22 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Commentary: Why Mike DeWine has so far refused to debate Nan Whaley · WVXU · 2022-09-07 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Parsing the gains, losses in DeWine's fundraising ahead of reelection bid · Ohio Capital Journal · 2022-02-08 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Gov. DeWine is invested in Intel. But he won't say how much · Ohio Capital Journal · 2022-05-18 · accessed 2026-09-19
- DeWine: Additional transparency not needed in massive Medicaid contracts · Ohio Capital Journal · 2022-01-24 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Experts: DeWine's son, Medicaid director both have clear conflicts · Ohio Capital Journal · 2022-02-14 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Nursing homes spent at least $6 million on Ohio politics in five years · Ohio Capital Journal · 2021-04-19 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Gov. DeWine receives $15 million, with Ohio Republican State Central & Executive State Candidate Fund as top donor · Ballotpedia News · 2022-10-10 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Mike DeWine raised more than any other Republican statewide candidate or officeholder in Ohio · Ballotpedia News · 2022-08-22 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Gov. DeWine talks endorsing Ramaswamy, why legalizing sports betting is his 'biggest mistake' · Ohio Capital Journal · 2026-05-26 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 · Ballotpedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Republican Mike DeWine changed position on Medicaid expansion · PolitiFact · 2018-07-20 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine Announces Completion of Sexual Assault Kit Testing Initiative · Ohio Attorney General's Office · 2018-02 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Richard Cordray casts some blame on Mike DeWine for opioid overdoses in Ohio · PolitiFact · 2018-06-12 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Fact-checking attack on Mike DeWine about ECOT online school in Ohio · PolitiFact · 2018-09-12 · accessed 2026-09-19
- 2018 Governor's Race Was Most Expensive In Ohio History · WOSU Public Media · 2018-12-19 · accessed 2026-09-19
- DeWine breaks spending record for governor's race · The Columbus Dispatch · 2018-12-14 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio FirstEnergy bribery scandal · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Here are the Central Ohioans who donated the most to Mike DeWine in the governor's race · Columbus Business First · 2018-11-08 · accessed 2026-09-19
- House Bill 6 case: Top aide didn't tell DeWine about $4.3M bribe · The Columbus Dispatch · 2024-02-15 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Attorney General election, 2014 · Ballotpedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- 2014 Ohio Attorney General election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Four More Years of 'Pay-to-Play' if DeWine Returns as Ohio AG, Says Dem Challenger · Washington Examiner · 2014 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Firms Gave Heavily to DeWine, GOP · Dayton Daily News · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio's brief in No. 14-556 (Obergefell v. Hodges) · SCOTUSblog · 2014-12 · accessed 2026-09-19
- https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dewine-files-suit-for-ecot-overpayments-political-battle-rages/ROhiILTMxgbi4MaO7T0mxM/
Cite and data
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye (Open Shower Co), "Governor of Ohio, 2018", https://crackedbuckeye.com/election/2018/governor/, built 2026-09-19, accessed [date].
Machine-readable: /api/politics/races/2018-governor.json (open JSON, CC BY 4.0 for the compilation; the underlying records keep their own terms) · How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-09-19