Home About Chat Users Issues Party Candidates Polling Firms Media News Polls Calendar Key Races United States President Senate House Governors International

New User Account
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource." 
Email: Password:

  Taft III, Robert A. "Bob"
CANDIDATE DETAILS
AffiliationRepublican  
 
NameRobert A. "Bob" Taft III
Address30 E. Broad St. 14th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43266, United States
EmailNone
WebsiteNone
Born January 08, 1942 (82 years)
Contributor...
Last Modifedgeoffreyvs
Aug 03, 2018 10:25am
Tags Caucasian - Married - Reprimanded - Methodist - Straight -
InfoRobert Alphonso Taft III has been the Republican governor of the U.S. state of Ohio since 1999. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.

He attended Yale University, graduating in 1963. After Yale, he received a master of arts degree from Princeton University in 1967 and then a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1976.

At the age of 21, from 1963 to 1965, Taft served as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching in Tanzania, Africa.

He was elected governor in 1998, defeating Democrat Lee Fisher 50-45 percent and reelected in 2002, defeating Democrat Tim Hagan 58-38 percent. He has been governor since January 1999.

Prior to his election as governor, Taft served as Ohio's secretary of state (1991–1998), Hamilton County commissioner (1981–1990), and in the state House of Representatives (1976–1981). In 1990, Taft was elected secretary of state, defeating incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown. In the 1994 election for Ohio secretary of state, Taft won re-election, defeating Democrat Dan Brady.

As of September 20, 2005, according to a poll, Taft has the lowest approval rating out of the 50 governors. His approval rating is only 17 percent, while his disapproval rating is 79 percent.

On August 17, 2005, Taft was charged with four criminal misdemeanors stemming from his alleged failure to disclose golf outings paid for by lobbyists. The Associated Press reported the total value of the undisclosed gifts as about US$5,800. It is the first time an Ohio governor has ever been charged with a crime while in office. At his arraignment in Franklin County Municipal Court in Columbus on August 18, Taft pleaded no contest and was fined $4,000 plus court cost. Judge Mark Froehlich also ordered Taft to apologize to the people of Ohio as well as state workers. In addition, Taft's conviction is grounds under the Ohio Constitution for impeachment and removal from office by the Ohio General Assembly, although this appears unlikely at this time. Taft has also stated that he will not resign from office.

Taft does have the option to fully and unconditionally pardon himself after a potential conviction.

Taft's family has been involved in Republican politics for over a century. His great-great-grandfather Alphonso Taft was Secretary of War, Attorney General, and an Ambassador; his great-grandfather William Howard Taft was President and Chief Justice of the United States; and his grandfather (Robert Alphonso Taft I) and his father (Robert Taft Jr.) were both U.S. Senators. His first cousin, William Howard Taft IV currently serves as chief legal advisor to the U.S. Department of State. His uncle, William Howard Taft III was an Ambassador. His great-grand-uncle Charles Phelps Taft was a U.S. Representative from Ohio and for a time, an owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. His great-great-great-grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft, was a member of the Vermont legislature. Other prominent relatives include Seth Chase Taft, Charles Phelps Taft II, Peter Rawson Taft II, Henry Waters Taft, Walbridge S. Taft, and Horace Dutton Taft. Kingsley A. Taft was a U.S. Senator from Ohio and Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court.

Bob Taft is also related to current President George W. Bush through at least three different marriages, ranging from eighth-cousin-once-removed to 11th-cousin-once-removed, as well as being a ninth cousin of Vice President Dick Cheney.


JOB APPROVAL POLLS
DateFirmApproveDisapproveDon't Know
09/25/2006-09/27/2006 Mason-Dixon 12.00% ( 1.0) 84.00% ( 2.0) 4.00% ( 3.0)
09/11/2006-09/17/2006 Quinnipiac University 14.00% ( 0.0) 78.00% ( 0.0) 8.00% ( 0.0)
09/14/2006-09/17/2006 Survey USA 19.00% ( 2.0) 77.00% ( 1.0) 5.00% ( 0.0)
09/13/2006-09/13/2006 Rasmussen Reports 21.00% ( 2.0) 77.00% ( 2.0) 1.00% ( 1.0)
07/14/2006-07/16/2006 Survey USA 17.00% ( 1.0) 78.00% ( 1.0) 5.00% ( 2.0)
06/09/2006-06/11/2006 Survey USA 18.00% ( 4.0) 79.00% ( 3.0) 3.00% ( 1.0)
04/24/2006-04/26/2006 Mason-Dixon 13.00% ( 2.0) 86.00% ( 2.0) 1.00% ( 0.0)
02/10/2006-02/12/2006 Survey USA 14.00% ( 4.0) 82.00% ( 6.0) 4.00% ( 1.0)
02/02/2006-02/03/2006 Zogby International 16.00% ( 9.5) 83.00% ( 10.5) 1.00% ( 1.0)
01/13/2006-01/15/2006 Survey USA 18.00% ( 1.0) 76.00% ( 1.0) 5.00% ( 1.0)

BOOKS
Title Purchase Contributor

EVENTS
Start Date End Date Type Title Contributor

NEWS
Date Category Headline Article Contributor
Dec 27, 2006 10:00am Legal Ruling Taft reprimanded for ethics violations  Article Thomas Walker 
Nov 29, 2005 06:25pm Poll Taft's approval ratings sink into single digits  Article Servo 
Aug 21, 2005 09:10pm Scandal Ohio Democrats Weigh Governor Impeachment  Article Thomas Walker 
Aug 19, 2005 08:40am Scandal Noe's lawyer says Taft knew about coin fund in 2001  Article RP 
Aug 18, 2005 12:20pm Scandal Ohio governor pleads no contest, fined $4,000 for ethics violations  Article COSDem 
Aug 17, 2005 02:35pm Scandal Prosecutor Says Taft Will Be Charged with Four Misdemeanors  Article COSDem 

DISCUSSION
Importance? 7.50000 Average

FAMILY
Father Robert Taft, Jr. 1917-1993
Grandfather Robert A. Taft 1889-1953
Great-Grandfather William Howard Taft 1857-1930
Grand Aunt Helen Herron Taft Manning 1891-1987
Grand Uncle Charles P. Taft II 1897-1983
1st Cousin Once Removed Seth C. Taft 1922-2013
Great-Grandmother Helen Herron Taft 1861-1943
Uncle William Howard Taft, III 1915-1991
1st Cousin William Howard Taft, IV 1945-

INFORMATION LINKS
RACES
  11/05/2002 OH - Governor Won 57.76% (+19.45%)
  05/07/2002 OH Governor - R Primary Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
  11/03/1998 OH Governor Won 50.05% (+5.36%)
  05/05/1998 OH Governor - R Primary Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
  11/08/1994 OH Secretary of State Won 64.78% (+29.56%)
  05/03/1994 OH Secretary of State- R Primary Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
  11/06/1990 OH Secretary of State Won 53.01% (+6.02%)
  05/08/1990 OH Secretary of State- R Primary Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
  11/04/1986 OH Lt. Governor Lost 39.38% (-21.24%)
  05/06/1986 OH Lt. Governor- R Primary Won 48.19% (+9.65%)
ENDORSEMENTS
OH Issue 1 - Elevating the Standards to Qualify For and to Pass any Constitutional Amendment - Aug 08, 2023 NO No
OH US Senate - R Primary - May 03, 2022 R Matthew J. Dolan