1974 Ohio Attorney General election

1974 Ohio Attorney General election

← 1970 November 5, 1974 (1974-11-05) 1978 →

Nominee William J. Brown George Curtis Smith Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,645,923 1,140,556 Percentage 59.07% 40.93%

County results Brown:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Smith:      50–60%

Attorney General before election William J. Brown Democratic Elected Attorney General William J. Brown Democratic

The 1974 Ohio Attorney General election was held on November 5, 1974, to elect the Ohio Attorney General. Democratic incumbent William J. Brown defeated Republican challenger, Prosecuting Attorney of Franklin County George Curtis Smith, by a wide margin of nearly 20 percentage points.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• William J. Brown, incumbent Ohio Attorney General (1971–1983)

Campaign

The Democratic primary was held on May 7, 1974. Brown won renomination unopposed.

Results

Democratic primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William J. Brown	742,290	100%
Total votes			742,290	100%

Republican primary

Candidates

• George Curtis Smith, Prosecuting Attorney of Franklin County (1971–1980)
• David Dudley Dowd Jr., Prosecuting Attorney of Stark County (1967–1975)
• Stan Aronoff, Ohio State Senator (1967–1996)

Campaign

The Republican primary was held on May 7, 1974. Smith very narrowly defeated Dowd and Aranoff to seize the Republican nomination, winning just 35.55% of the vote.

Results

Republican primary results^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Curtis Smith	182,641	35.55%
	Republican	David Dudley Dowd Jr.	179,500	34.94%
	Republican	Stan Aronoff	151,661	29.52%
Total votes			513,802	100%

General election

Candidates

• William J. Brown, incumbent Ohio Attorney General (1971–1983) (Democratic)
• George Curtis Smith, Prosecuting Attorney of Franklin County (1971–1980) (Republican)

Results

1974 Ohio Attorney General election results^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	William J. Brown	1,645,923	59.07%	+3.64%
	Republican	George Curtis Smith	1,140,556	40.93%	−3.63%
Total votes			2,786,479	100.00%
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Democratic Primary: May 7, 1974 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State.
2. "Republican Primary: May 7, 1974 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State.
3. "General Election Overview: November 5, 1974". Retrieved October 20, 2025.