1988Final results

1988 election for U.S. Senate in Ohio

Name: 1988 election for U.S. Senate in Ohio
Start: 1988-11-08
Location: Ohio

U.S. Senate · Ohio

Howard Metzenbaum (D) won with 57.0% of the vote, defeating George Voinovich (R) by 14.0 points.

Howard MetzenbaumDemocrat · winner

57.0%2,480,038

43.0%1,872,716

4,352,905 votes

Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET

The seat over time

D − R margin in this seat's races around 1988

Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET

Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.

Howard MetzenbaumGeorge Voinovich

$7.3M

Raised by the campaign

$7.8M

$8.5M

Spent by the campaign

$8.2M

$221.8K

Cash on hand

$11.1K

Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.

Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988