Person
George Voinovich
- Work
- Senior Fellow at Cleveland State University and Ohio Visiting Professor of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University after leaving the Senate in 2011.
Source: cleveland19.com
- Education
- B.A. in government, Ohio University, 1958; J.D., Ohio State University College of Law, 1961.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ohio.edu · nga.org
- $7.3MRaised, as filed · December 31, 2004
- $731KCash on hand · December 31, 2004
- 60%Latest poll · ABC News, October 2004
- 3Positions in their words · 3 issues
- none on fileClaims checked
- 3Offices held · Former U.S. Senator from Ohio, 1999–2011
9 of 11 sections researched
Not yet researched: What they have said, checked, Endorsements given.
What has been checked
- Profile 7 entries
- On the ballot 0 entries
- Where they stand 3 entries
- What they have said, checked None found in the records checked PolitiFact did not launch until 2007 and no other named fact-checker rated a 2004-campaign claim by either candidate. Not found in the records checked. Checked: The research archive's 2004-cycle fact-check pass, which searched PolitiFact, FactCheck.org, the Washington Post Fact Checker and AP Fact Check
- Record in office 4 entries
- Money 2 entries
- Financial interests 1 entry No documented conflict-of-interest scandal or ethics complaint tied to his mayoral, gubernatorial, or first Senate term (through 2004) was found in the records checked.
- Polling and approval 3 entries
- Elections 2 entries
- Endorsements given None found in the records checked The research archive records no endorsement given by Voinovich in the 2004 cycle.
- Sources 6 entries
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Section | State |
|---|---|
| profile | researched |
| ballot | researched |
| positions | researched |
| claims | none found |
| record | researched |
| money | researched |
| interests | researched |
| polling | researched |
| elections | researched |
| endorsements | none found |
| sources | researched |
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Chamber | District | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Statewide | All of Ohio | U.S. Senator from Ohio |
On the ballot
None found in the records checked
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Where they stand
Federal tax policy / the deficit
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
One of a small group of Senate Republicans, with Olympia Snowe, who forced the Bush administration's second tax-cut package down from a proposed $726 billion/$550 billion figure to $350 billion, citing deficit concerns; the only Senate Republican to vote against the 2000 marriage-penalty relief bill, and had opposed the second round of Bush tax cuts. Ohio press coverage described him as someone who "considers the impact of his votes... choosing carefully without regard for what the political impact might be on him personally."
Sources: cbsnews.com · forbes.com
Iraq / national security
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
During his first term (2000-2004) voiced early skepticism about aspects of Iraq strategy but did not break with the administration or vote against the war effort; ran as a mainstream supporter of the broader Bush-era national-security posture rather than as a war critic.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Jobs and welfare reform
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Ran on continuity and his record as governor: more than 500,000 new jobs created and unemployment at a 25-year low, plus more than 362,000 welfare recipients moved into jobs under Ohio's welfare-reform program, without new taxes late in his term.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
What they have said, checked
None found in the records checked
Record in office
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Person | Date | Kind | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voinovich (R) | 1999-01 | office | U.S. Senator from Ohio |
| Voinovich (R) | 1991-01 | office | Governor of Ohio |
| Voinovich (R) | 1980 | office | Mayor of Cleveland |
| Voinovich (R) | 1980 | action | 1980 (action): As mayor of Cleveland, led the city out of its 1978 municipal debt default, negotiating a repayment plan and a $36.2 million bank loan that |
| Voinovich (R) | 1991 | action | 1991 (action): As governor, inherited and closed a roughly $1.5 billion state budget deficit; unemployment fell to what was then a 25-year low with over 50 |
| Voinovich (R) | 1997 | action | 1997 (action): Despite increased school funding during his governorship, the Ohio Supreme Court's DeRolph v. State rulings, beginning 1997, found the state |
| Voinovich (R) | 1999 | vote | 1999 (vote): In his first Senate term, built a reputation as a fiscal "debt hawk," pushing to shrink the 2003 Bush tax cut package on deficit grounds and |
-
vote 1999
In his first Senate term, built a reputation as a fiscal "debt hawk," pushing to shrink the 2003 Bush tax cut package on deficit grounds and voting against 2000 marriage-penalty tax relief as the lone Senate Republican to do so; worked across the aisle with Michigan's Carl Levin on Great Lakes protection; sponsored Appalachian Regional Commission reauthorizations benefiting southeastern Ohio.
Sources: cbsnews.com · forbes.com
-
action 1997
Despite increased school funding during his governorship, the Ohio Supreme Court's DeRolph v. State rulings, beginning 1997, found the state's school-funding system unconstitutional. His own push to raise the state sales tax to address the funding gap was defeated at referendum when Democrats opposed it, leaving the underlying constitutional funding problem unresolved when he left office.
The Ohio Supreme Court, in DeRolph v. State:
the state's school-funding system was unconstitutional
· the sourceSources: oepiohio.org · ideastream.org
-
action 1991
As governor, inherited and closed a roughly $1.5 billion state budget deficit; unemployment fell to what was then a 25-year low with over 500,000 net new jobs; cut Medicaid cost growth by more than two-thirds and roughly halved welfare rolls under welfare reform; dramatically expanded state funding for Head Start; appointed Kenneth Blackwell as state treasurer, Ohio's first Black statewide elected/appointed official; signed the state's first charter-school law and backed a Cleveland school-voucher program that survived a U.S. Supreme Court challenge; base cost per pupil in the K-12 school-funding formula rose from $2,530 in FY1990 to $3,663 in FY1998 as the DeRolph v. State school-funding litigation proceeded.
Sources: nga.org · en.wikipedia.org
-
action 1980
As mayor of Cleveland, led the city out of its 1978 municipal debt default, negotiating a repayment plan and a $36.2 million bank loan that returned Cleveland to sound footing by 1980; oversaw a downtown building boom (BP Building, Society Center/Key Tower); the city won the All-America City Award three times in five years (1982, 1984, 1986); backed North Coast Harbor, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Great Lakes Science Center.
Sources: case.edu · teachingcleveland.org
Recorded votes
George Voinovich cast 3,875 Yea or Nay votes on the roll calls we hold, across 6 terms from 1999 to 2010, all in Congress, from Voteview. Each term opens to every roll call, with the question, the result, how George Voinovich voted and how the majority of their party voted.
| Term | Chamber | Yea | Nay | Did not vote | With party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 111th Congress, 2009–2010 | U.S. Senate | 381 | 282 | 33 | 63% of 499 |
| 110th Congress, 2007–2008 | U.S. Senate | 364 | 281 | 12 | 68% of 373 |
| 109th Congress, 2005–2006 | U.S. Senate | 361 | 279 | 5 | 81% of 386 |
| 108th Congress, 2003–2004 | U.S. Senate | 410 | 252 | 13 | 92% of 411 |
| 107th Congress, 2001–2002 | U.S. Senate | 359 | 249 | 25 | 91% of 316 |
| 106th Congress, 1999–2000 | U.S. Senate | 402 | 255 | 15 | 83% of 371 |
"With party" counts only roll calls on which most Republicans and most Democrats voted opposite ways.
Sources: Congressional roll-call votes · Roll call votes · Roll call votes
Money
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| From | To | Dollars | Share of total | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raised | Spent | 6,773,307.75 | 69.9% | |
| Other funds (derived) | Spent | 2,183,072.25 | 22.5% | |
| Raised | Cash on hand | 552,888.25 | 5.7% | |
| Other funds (derived) | Cash on hand | 178,198.75 | 1.8% |
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Totals as filed
| Race | Filer | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senator from Ohio | FEC | $7,326,196 | $8,956,380 | $731,087 | December 31, 2004 |
| U.S. Senate (Ohio) | FEC | $6,098,620 | $6,756,712 | $638,703 | December 31, 1998 |
Sources: api.open.fec.gov · fec.gov
Source: fec.gov
Outside spending
Financial interests
Disclosed holdings
None found in the records checked.
Disclosed income
None found in the records checked.
Reported conflicts
-
Umberto Fedeli, whom Voinovich appointed chairman of the Ohio Turnpike Commission in his first year as governor, was investigated by the FBI and the Ohio Ethics Commission after reporting found turnpike contractors had purchased liability insurance through Fedeli's own insurance business, which earned roughly $2 million from turnpike-connected companies; Fedeli denied wrongdoing, was never charged, and resigned from the commission in 1998.
1996 · Reported by Cleveland Plain Dealer reporting, per the FBI and Ohio Ethics Commission review
Source: clevescene.com
Net worth, as estimated
None found in the records checked.
Polling and approval
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Field date | Candidate | Share | Poll |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2004 | George Voinovich | 64 | University of Cincinnati |
| Oct 2004 | George Voinovich | 60 | ABC News |
-
ABC News · October 2004 · U.S. Senator from Ohio
Fingerhut 35 · Voinovich 60
Source: mysterypollster.com
-
University of Cincinnati · September 2004 · U.S. Senator from Ohio
Fingerhut 34 · Voinovich 64
Source: mysterypollster.com
-
Mason-Dixon · October 1998 · U.S. Senate (Ohio)
Boyle 37 · Voinovich 55
815 likely voters, +/-3.5%
Source: cnn.com
Elections
| Race | Party | Result | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senator from Ohio (2004) | Republican | Won | 3,464,651 | 63.9% |
| U.S. Senate (Ohio) (1998) | Republican | Won | 1,922,087 | 56.5% |
Offices held
U.S. Senator from Ohio · 1999-01 to 2011-01 · elected
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Governor of Ohio · 1991-01 to 1999-01 · elected
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Mayor of Cleveland · 1980 to 1989 · elected
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · case.edu
Endorsements
None found in the records checked
Sources
Data from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0: George Voinovich · 2004 United States Senate election in Ohio · 1998 United States Senate election in Ohio
Every URL on this page, once each.
- George Voinovich · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-21
- 2004 United States Senate election in Ohio · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-21
- 1998 United States Senate election in Ohio · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-21
- VOINOVICH, GEORGE V -- Candidate overview · FEC.gov · accessed 2026-09-21
- CNN AllPolitics Election '98 -- Ohio 1998 Polls · CNN · accessed 2026-09-21
- Thanks a Lot, George · Cleveland Scene · accessed 2026-09-21
- https://www.ohio.edu/voinovich-school/about/george-voinovich
- https://www.nga.org/governor/george-v-voinovich/
- https://www.cleveland19.com/story/32201964/former-ohio-gov-us-senator-and-cleveland-mayor-george-voinovich-dies/
- https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/candidate/S8OH00011/totals/?cycle=2004
- https://case.edu/ech/articles/m/mayoral-administration-george-v-voinovich
- https://mysterypollster.com/2004/10/ohio/
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/voinovich-wont-budge-on-tax-cuts/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/taxanalysts/2016/06/20/ohios-voinovich-opposed-only-the-second-round-of-bush-tax-cuts/
- https://teachingcleveland.org/george-voinovich-biography/
- https://www.oepiohio.org/2022/03/21/the-central-importance-of-the-derolph-rulings-to-school-funding-in-ohio/
- https://www.ideastream.org/education/2017-04-25/ohio-school-funding-unequal-20-years-after-supreme-court-case
Cite and data
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "George Voinovich", https://crackedbuckeye.com/people/george-voinovich/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-10-31
