1990 Ohio Attorney General election

1990 Ohio Attorney General election

← 1986 November 6, 1990 (1990-11-06) 1994 →

Nominee Lee Fisher Paul Pfeifer Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,680,698 1,679,464 Percentage 50.02% 49.98%

County results Fisher:      50–60%      60–70% Pfeifer:      50–60%      60–70%

Attorney General before election Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr. Democratic Elected Attorney General Lee Fisher Democratic

The 1990 Ohio Attorney General election was held on November 6, 1990, to elect the Ohio Attorney General. Incumbent Ohio Attorney General Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr. chose not to run for re-election in order to unsuccessfully run for Governor of Ohio. The Democratic nominee, Ohio State Senator Lee Fisher, defeated Republican fellow Ohio State Senator Paul Pfeifer in an extremely close election by a narrow margin of just 1,234 votes.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Lee Fisher, Ohio State Senator (1983–1990)
• Charles T. Brown, lawyer
• James A. Philomena, Mahoning County Prosecutor (1989–1997)
• Frederick D. Middleton Jr.

Campaign

The Democratic primary was held on May 8, 1990. Fisher won the Democratic nomination with a plurality of the popular vote.

Results

Democratic primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lee Fisher	394,332	48.83%
	Democratic	Charles T. Brown	246,729	30.55%
	Democratic	James A. Philomena	101,036	12.51%
	Democratic	Frederick D. Middleton Jr.	65,506	8.11%
Total votes			807,603	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Paul Pfeifer, Ohio State Senator (1977–1992)

Campaign

The Republican primary was held on May 8, 1990. Paul Pfeifer won the Republican nomination unopposed.

Results

Republican primary results^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Paul Pfeifer	551,953	100%
Total votes			551,953	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• Lee Fisher, Ohio State Senator (1983–1990) (Democratic)
• Paul Pfeifer, Ohio State Senator (1977–1992) (Republican)

Results

The election was close enough to trigger an automatic statewide recount. After several weeks, Fisher was declared the winner by a razor-thin margin of 0.04%, only 1,234 votes.

1990 Ohio Attorney General results^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Lee Fisher	1,680,698	50.02%	−9.83%
	Republican	Paul Pfeifer	1,679,464	49.98%	+9.83%
Total votes			3,360,162	100.00%
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Democratic Primary: May 8, 1990 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021.
2. "Republican Primary: May 8, 1990 - Ohio Secretary of State". Ohio Secretary of State. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021.
3. "General Election Overview: November 6, 1990". Archived from the original on June 17, 2025. Retrieved October 13, 2025.