1986Final results
1986 election for Ohio Governor
Governor · Ohio
Richard F. Celeste (D) won with 60.6% of the vote, defeating James A. Rhodes (R) by 21.2 points.
Richard F. CelesteDemocrat · winner
60.6%1,858,372
James A. RhodesRepublican
39.4%1,207,264
3,065,636 votes
Source: Algara, Carlos; Amlani, Sharif (Harvard Dataverse)Updated Oct 5, 2026, 12:23 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1986
Races before and after
Source: Algara, Carlos; Amlani, Sharif (Harvard Dataverse)Updated Oct 5, 2026, 12:23 AM ET