1974 Ohio lieutenant gubernatorial election
November 5, 1974
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County results Celeste: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Brown: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Ohio |
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The 1974 Ohio lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974, to elect the Lieutenant Governor of Ohio. Democratic Ohio House Representative Dick Celeste defeated incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor John William Brown.
In 1976, following the passage of a voter-approved amendment, the elections for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Ohio were merged into one ticket. Thus, this race is the last election in which an Ohio Governor and Lieutenant Governor were elected separately. Additionally, this election coincided with the 1974 Ohio gubernatorial election in which former Republican Governor Jim Rhodes narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Governor John J. Gilligan, making this the last election in which an Ohio Governor and Lieutenant Governor of separate political parties were simultaneously elected.
Republican primary
Candidates
- John William Brown, incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (1963–1975), (1953–1957)
Campaign
The Republican primary was held on May 7, 1974. Brown won renomination unanimously.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John William Brown | 474,818 | 100% | |
| Total votes | 474,818 | 100.0% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Dick Celeste, Ohio House Representative (1971–1974)
- Anthony O. Calabrese, Ohio State Senator, (1956–1980)
- William M. O`Neill
- J. W. Brown
- A. William Sweeney
- James R. Williams, lawyer
- Lucille Huston
- Henry W. Eckhart
- Don L. Hanni
Campaign
The Democratic primary was held on May 7, 1974. The primary campaign field was crowded with eight different candidates running for the Democratic nomination, Celeste ultimately won with a plurality of the popular vote.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dick Celeste | 298,952 | 31.5% | |
| Democratic | Anthony O. Calabrese | 176,756 | 18.62% | |
| Democratic | William M. O`Neill | 125,012 | 13.17% | |
| Democratic | J. W. Brown | 121,112 | 12.76% | |
| Democratic | A. William Sweeney | 71,172 | 7.5% | |
| Democratic | James R. Williams | 53,422 | 5.63% | |
| Democratic | Lucille Huston | 48,034 | 5.06% | |
| Democratic | Henry W. Eckhart | 30,614 | 3.23% | |
| Democratic | Don L. Hanni | 24,033 | 2.53% | |
| Total votes | 949,107 | 100.0% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Dick Celeste, Ohio House Representative (1971–1974) (Democratic)
- John William Brown, incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (1963–1975), (1953–1957)
- Herman Kirsch (Independent)
- Bernard Henderson (Write-in)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dick Celeste | 1,513,619 | 51.82% | +4.45% | |
| Republican | John William Brown | 1,296,322 | 44.38% | −8.24% | |
| Independent | Herman Kirsch | 110,776 | 3.79% | N/A | |
| Write-in | Bernard Henderson | 39 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 2,920,756 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
References
- ^ "Republican primary: May 7, 1974 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ "Democratic Primary: May 7, 1974". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ "General Election Overview: November 5, 1974 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved October 16, 2025.