Bob Taft will remain Ohio’s 67th governor, winning the 2002 election by taking 58 percent of the vote last night with 98 percent of the precincts reporting. Democratic candidate Tim Hagan received 38 percent, and Independent candidate John Eastman received 4 percent.
“This wasn’t an easy year to run as an incumbent,” Taft said. “Especially with a year full of tough budgets, terrorism and more. We won a decisive victory. This (year) has been the most diverse ticket in the history of the state.”
Along with new Lieutenant Governor Jennette Bradley, and his wife, Ohio’s First Lady Hope Taft, Bob Taft brought a number of programs into action over the last four years as governor including Ohio Reads, The Clean Ohio Fund, and a 12-year plan providing $10 billion for new kindergarten through 12th-grade school buildings across the state.
“We will continue to improve schools until no child is left behind,” Taft said. “We’ll work with state legislature to balance the next budget. There are obstacles ahead, but none we can’t overcome together. As I look to the future, I see Ohio is full of prosperity.”
Bradley, replacing Maureen O’Connor, will be the first black lieutenant governor of the state of Ohio.
“This will be fantastic progress for women and African-Americans,” Bradley said. “We have a very strong agenda for Ohio. I’m going to take all the things I’ve learned on city council and take them to another level. I want to make a difference.”
“Jennette has been a great leader in Columbus,” Taft said. “And she will be a great leader for the state of Ohio.”
Taft’s campaign, which was mostly fueled by economic and education platforms, has promised to return the tuition caps on Ohio’s public universities to 6 percent while increasing the funding for higher education. The campaign has continuously emphasized that better education goes hand-in-hand with a better economy.
Joint economic and education programs such as the Third Frontier Project will launch a $1.6 billion economic development program to bring more technology and higher-paying jobs to Ohio. It will be implemented into a university-industry collaboration in hopes of attracting students, researchers and professors, who will then attract higher technology-based companies to the surrounding area. It will also help already existing companies to become more technologically advanced.
However, the state will be picking up the bill for all of this with an increased property tax.
Ohio Reads, a program with over 40,000 volunteers, has served as Taft’s highest priority for every child to learn to read by the end of fourth grade. Taft has also supported The Clean Ohio Fund, which is a $400 million bond fund to help communities clean up and redevelop contaminated sites, revitalize urban centers and preserve green space.
“This will make it 16 years of uninterrupted governance,” Senator George Voinovich said in referring to the Republican’s hold on the governor’s office. “That hasn’t happened since the War of 1812. We are making history here. This is a great victory for the public of Ohio.”
“The spirit of our people is strong,” Taft said. “The work ethic of our people is strong. The character of our people is strong. The ingenuity of our people is strong. Ohio is a great state and we can make it greater still.”
“This was a tremendous day for the Republican Party,” Voinovich said. “Savor this victory because it doesn’t happen often.”
