Rob Richardson (Ohio)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Rob Richardson

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 6, 2018

Education

Bachelor's

University of Cincinnati

Law

University of Cincinnati

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal website

Personal Twitter

Rob Richardson (Democratic Party) ran for election for Ohio Treasurer. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.

Biography

Richardson received a bachelor's degree in engineering and J.D. from the University of Cincinnati. He joined the University of Cincinnati's Board of Trustees in 2007 and was elected as chair of the board in 2016. His professional experience also includes working as a marketing construction representative and as counsel to the law firm Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings.

Elections

2018

See also: Ohio Treasurer election, 2018

General election

General election for Ohio Treasurer

Robert Sprague defeated Rob Richardson in the general election for Ohio Treasurer on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert Sprague (R)	53.3	2,304,444
		Rob Richardson (D)	46.7	2,022,016

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,326,460
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio Treasurer

Rob Richardson advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Treasurer on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rob Richardson	100.0	500,640

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 500,640
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Neil Patel (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio Treasurer

Robert Sprague defeated Sandra O'Brien in the Republican primary for Ohio Treasurer on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert Sprague	57.5	412,312
		Sandra O'Brien	42.5	304,540

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 716,852
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Cincinnati, Ohio (2017)

The city of Cincinnati, Ohio, held elections on November 7, 2017. A primary election for the mayoral race was held on May 2, 2017. The top two vote-getters faced each other in the general election. The filing deadline for mayoral candidates was February 16, 2017. All nine seats on the city council were up for election. Regardless of the number of candidates, Cincinnati does not hold a primary election for the city council races. The filing deadline for city council candidates was August 24, 2017.

Yvette Simpson and incumbent John Cranley defeated Rob Richardson in the primary election for mayor of Cincinnati.

Mayor of Cincinnati, Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Yvette Simpson	45.16%	10,702
John Cranley Incumbent	34.39%	8,150
Rob Richardson	20.45%	4,846
Total Votes		23,698
Source: Hamilton County Board of Elections, "2017 Primary Election Results," accessed May 19, 2017

Campaign themes

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys

Rob Richardson participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on April 10, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Rob Richardson's responses follow below.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

“

1) Bringing accountability and transparency back to the Treasurer's Office 2) Finding innovative approaches to job and economic growth for our state 3) Expanding opportunities for young people by investing in education, from student loan assistance to expanding broadband into every school.

”

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

“

I'm personally passionate about the opioid crisis. My career has been as a securities litigation attorney, and I feel strongly about holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for their actions. I'm personally passionate about education. At a young age I was told by a teacher I'd never go to college. I now hold two degrees, but many kids face similar opposition without the support to overcome it. Finally, I'm passionate about jobs and job creation. As a longtime member of the Laborers International Union, I believe a job is more than just a way to make a living. It should be a source of both security and dignity, and I want to ensure the people of Ohio have access to quality jobs that provide a living wage.

”

Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Rob Richardson answered the following:

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

“

Accountability to the people you’re elected to serve is the single most important principle for an elected leader to have. Too many elected leaders are in the pocket of powerful special interest groups and unconcerned about the needs of their constituents.

”

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

“

I have a strong track record of safeguarding and growing assets. During my nine years on the Board of Trustees at the University of Cincinnati I oversaw unprecedented growth and grew our cash reserves by over $300 million.

”

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

“

I was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age and for many years took classes for kids with learning disabilities. While school was a challenge, over the years my strong support system and drive to succeed allowed me to overcome my obstacles. I now hold degrees in electrical engineering and law.

”

2017

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Richardson participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“	Moving people out of poverty and into opportunities.	”
—Rob Richardson (April 25, 2017)

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue	Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	K-12 education	7	City services (trash, utilities, etc.)
2	Crime reduction/prevention	8	Environment
3	Transportation	9	Government transparency
4	Housing	10	Homelessness
5	Unemployment	11	Public pensions/retirement funds
6	Civil rights	12	Recreational opportunities

Nationwide municipal issues

The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.

Question	Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?Answer options: Not important; Not important, but required by state law; A little important; A little important, but required by state law; Important; Very important	Very important
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?Answer options: None, Local, State, Federal	State
What do you think is the best way to improve a city’s public safety? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Increased economic opportunities, Increased police presence/activity, Harsher penalties for offenders, Public outreach/education programs	Increased economic opportunities
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Changing zoning restrictions, Create a more competitive business climate, Focusing on small business development, Instituting a citywide minimum wage, Recruiting new businesses to your city, Regulatory and licensing reforms, and tax reform	Focusing on aligning education, small and large businesses, and community leaders to streamline innovation and access to capital.
What is the one thing you’re most proud of about your city?	The strides made by institutions like the University of Cincinnati to expand our innovation ecosystem.
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about your city?	Drastically expanding public transit through the implementation of a comprehensive plan

Richardson's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

Mass transit

• Excerpt: "Improve the mass transit system to help people get to work quickly and efficiently and to find and access jobs all over the city."

Jobs

• Excerpt: "Implement an inclusive growth strategy by establishing a local hire requirement; encouraging apprenticeship programs to train skilled labor; and creating a high school job readiness curriculum."

Economic development

• Excerpt: "Hire an innovation/jobs czar to strategize innovative tactics for growth and coordination between universities, major employers and startups."

Broadband

• Excerpt: "Make fiber optic, high-speed broadband available and accessible to all in Cincinnati to spur job growth, economic development, and educational achievement in every community."

Zoning

• Excerpt: "Develop more creative and inclusionary zoning policies that help long-term homeowners keep pace with newer housing development in changing neighborhoods."

Endorsements

2017

Richardson received the following endorsements in 2017:

• Laborers Local 265
• Cincinnati Iron Workers Local 44

See also

• Treasurer of Ohio
• Ohio Treasurer election, 2018

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• Treasurer of Ohio
• Campaign website