Ohio GOP sweeps top statewide offices

Kent State Students line up at the polls on November 6, 2018 for the midway elections at the Kent State Wellness Center.

The GOP in Ohio picked up four big wins, taking home victories in the attorney general, treasurer, auditor and secretary of state races.

Dave Yost defeated former Democratic federal prosecutor Steve Dettelbach to become Ohio’s next attorney general. Yost ran his campaign on an effort to fight public corruption and to keep special interests out of lawmaking. 

Dettelbach served as the U.S. attorney for northern Ohio from 2009 to 2016. 

Republican Rep. Robert Sprague won the race for Ohio treasurer for the office in charge of managing the state’s investment portfolio and collecting taxes.  Sprague ran on a platform built around financing drug addiction treatment and improving transparency around state spending.

He formerly served as the city auditor and treasurer in Findlay, Ohio. He defeated attorney Rob Richardson. 

The 45-year-old Sprague’s platform centered on financing drug addiction treatments and improving the transparency of state spending. He has served as city auditor and treasurer in his northwest Ohio hometown of Findlay.

Sprague succeeds two-term Republican Josh Mandel, who is term-limited.

In the race for Secretary of State, Frank LaRose defeated Kathleen Clyde, a state representative from Kent. 

LaRose served in the state Senate since 2011, while Clyde served as Kent’s representative since 2011. 

Keith Faber has been elected Ohio auditor, defeating former U.S. Rep. Zack Space.

Faber has advocated additional performance audits to boost government cost savings and efficiency. 

Both candidates faced questions during their campaign about problems with tax payments. Space’s campaign cited administrative errors for two tax penalties in his past. A bookkeeper took responsibility for tardy tax payments tied to Faber.

Faber succeeds two-term Republican Dave Yost.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Henry Palattella is the editor. Contact him at [email protected]