The 1998 Ohio gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Incumbent RepublicanGovernor of OhioGeorge Voinovich could not seek a third term as Governor due to term limits, and ran for the United States Senate instead. To replace him, former Attorney General of OhioLee Fisher and Ohio Secretary of StateBob Taft won the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively. Taft and Fisher faced off in a highly competitive general election, and in the end, Taft (a great-grandson of U.S. President and Supreme Court Chief JusticeWilliam Howard Taft) beat out Fisher by a narrow margin, making this gubernatorial election one of Ohio's closest.