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On Tuesday, November 4th, Ohio voters will elect a slew of statewide offices and decide on many local issues.

Kasich, DeWine, and Husted Win Re-election In Ohio

Connie Wehrkamp, Kasich for Ohio

It looks like Republican Governor John Kasich has won re-election by defeating Cleveland Democrat Ed FitzGerald accoding toi the Associated Press. Early indications are that turnout was low across the state.

Tuesday's victory was expected after campaign missteps by FitzGerald, the Cuyahoga County executive, left him seriously behind in polls and fundraising.

FitzGerald's troubles and the lack of a U.S. Senate race or any statewide ballot issues were among factors keeping people from the polls.

The 62-year-old Kasich's approval ratings dropped after he lost a 2011 collective-bargaining battle against public employee unions, but FitzGerald's weakened campaign was unable to serve as an effective mouthpiece to remind voters of that and push other Democratic issues. He ran on his record of job creation and his efforts to rein in Ohio government spending and cut taxes.

Republican Mike DeWine has fought back a challenge by Cincinnati lawyer David Pepper to win a second term as Ohio's attorney general.

DeWine defeated Pepper on Tuesday. As a former state lawmaker, Ohio lieutenant governor and U.S. senator, DeWine is among Ohio's most well-known politicians.

Pepper is a former city councilman and Hamilton County commissioner, and he ran an aggressive campaign against DeWine.

He criticized DeWine for a host of actions. Those included awarding lucrative state business to the inexperienced firm of a friend, personally interfering in an internal sexual harassment investigation and delaying release of store video after a high-profile Wal-Mart shooting.

None of it stuck.

DeWine's campaign emphasized the former prosecutor's get-tough approach to corruption and fraud and progress in addressing a backlog of untested rape kits.

Republican Jon Husted has won re-election as Ohio secretary of state by topping Democratic state Sen. Nina Turner in one of the year's most-spirited contests.

Husted is a former Ohio House speaker and Dayton-area state senator who won his bid for the election chief's job Tuesday.

Turner led a Democratic charge for the office that centered on allegations that Husted and Ohio's all-Republican power structure had taken administrative, legislative and legal steps intended to disenfranchise the party's voters.

Former President Bill Clinton and talk show host Jerry Springer were among those who helped the Cleveland lawmaker's campaign.

As the incumbent, Husted oversaw administration of the state election and did little campaigning. His campaign touted his directive setting uniform statewide voting hours and conducting Ohio's first comprehensive voter fraud investigation.

 

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