NATIONAL ELECTION RETURNS : State-by-State Election Reports of Key Races and Issues : Ohio

COLUMBUS —  George Bush captured Ohio’s 23 electoral votes, dashing Democrat Michael S. Dukakis’ hopes of victory in this vital Midwestern industrial state where both candidates had made repeated campaign stops.

In the costliest Senate race in the state’s history, Democrat Howard Metzenbaum, 71, fought off a strong Republican challenge by George Voinovich, mayor of Cleveland, to retain his Senate seat for a third term.

In an echo of the presidential race, Voinovich had sought to tag Metzenbaum as a liberal out of touch with the mainstream of his state.

All of the 11 Democrats and nine Republicans seeking reelection to the U.S. House were successful.

In the 5th District, Ohio Senate President Paul Gillmor, a Republican, defeated Sandusky lawyer Thomas Murray, a Democrat, for the seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Delbert Latta after 30 years.

Metzenbaum, aided by the Ohio Democratic Party and strong labor backing, had spent more than $7 million in seeking a third term. The 71-year-old Cleveland millionaire said the race would be his last.