1970 Ohio Attorney General election
November 3, 1970
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County results Brown: 50–60% 60–70% Herbert: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Ohio |
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The 1970 Ohio Attorney General election was held on November 3, 1970, to elect the Ohio Attorney General. Incumbent Republican Ohio Attorney General Paul W. Brown, who was appointed following William B. Saxbe's resignation after winning election to the Senate in 1968, chose not to run for re-election, instead unsuccessfully running in the Republican primary for Governor of Ohio.
The Democratic nominee, lawyer William J. Brown, defeated Republican opponent, Ohio State Treasurer John D. Herbert, by ten percentage points.
Republican primary
Candidates
- John D. Herbert, Ohio State Treasurer (1963–1971)
Campaign
The Republican primary was held on May 5, 1970. Herbert won the Republican nomination unopposed.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John D. Herbert | 733,229 | 100% | |
| Total votes | 733,229 | 100% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- William J. Brown, lawyer
- John McDonald, Ohio House Representative (1965–1970) and Ohio House Minority Leader (1969–1970)
- David J. Boyd
- C. Raymond Marvin
Campaign
The Democratic primary was held on May 5, 1970. Brown won the nomination easily, defeating his closest opponent, Ohio House Minority Leader John McDonald, by 12 percentage points, albeit still with only a plurality of the popular vote.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William J. Brown | 346,514 | 45.82% | |
| Democratic | John McDonald | 253,876 | 33.57% | |
| Democratic | David J. Boyd | 97,719 | 12.92% | |
| Democratic | C. Raymond Marvin | 58,147 | 7.69% | |
| Total votes | 756,256 | 100% | ||
General election
Candidates
- William J. Brown, lawyer (Democratic)
- John D. Herbert, Ohio State Treasurer (1963–1971) (Republican)
- Al Budka (Write-in)
Campaign
Herbert was hurt by the Crofters scandal, which alleged that he and several other Republican candidates had taken illicit campaign contributions from a Columbus company named Crofters Inc., which arranged for the illegal loans of state funds. Herbert faced some calls from within his own party to drop out of the race but adamantly refused, informing a friend that he would stay in the race "and drag the whole bunch of them down with me."[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William J. Brown | 1,613,926 | 55.43% | +10.66% | |
| Republican | John D. Herbert | 1,297,421 | 44.56% | −10.67% | |
| Write-in | Al Budka | 94 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 2,911,441 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
References
- ^ "Republican Primary: May 5, 1970 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State.
- ^ "Democratic Primary: May 5, 1970 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State.
- ^ Apple Jr., R. W. "Ohio Republicans Shaken By Scandals". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
- ^ "General Election Overview: November 3, 1970 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved October 20, 2025.