Ted Strickland

Ted Strickland
Strickland in 2008
68th Governor of Ohio
In office
January 8, 2007  January 10, 2011
LieutenantLee Fisher
Preceded byBob Taft
Succeeded byJohn Kasich
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 6th district
In office
January 3, 1997  January 3, 2007
Preceded byFrank Cremeans
Succeeded byCharlie Wilson
In office
January 3, 1993  January 3, 1995
Preceded byBob McEwen
Succeeded byFrank Cremeans
Personal details
Born
Theodore Strickland

(1941-08-04) August 4, 1941
Lucasville, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
(m. 1987)
EducationAsbury University (BA)
University of Kentucky (MA, PhD)
Asbury Theological Seminary (MDiv)
Signature
WebsiteCampaign website

Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who served as the 68th governor of Ohio from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Ohio's 6th congressional district (1993–1995, 1997–2007). As of 2025, he is the last Democrat to serve as governor of Ohio.

In the 2006 gubernatorial election, Strickland was elected to succeed term-limited Republican incumbent Bob Taft, receiving 60% of the vote and defeating Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. He was narrowly defeated for re-election in the 2010 gubernatorial election by former U.S. Representative John Kasich.

In April 2014, Strickland became president of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Strickland left that position in February 2015, and subsequently announced his intention to run for the United States Senate against incumbent Rob Portman. He went on to lose by 20 points.