The Alabama gubernatorial election of 1998 was held on November 3, 1998, to select the governor of Alabama. The election saw incumbent Governor Fob James (R) against Lieutenant Governor Don Siegelman (D). The result saw Don Siegelman win a decisive victory over Fob James. This was the second of three consecutive Alabama gubernatorial elections in which the incumbent was defeated. As of 2024, this was the last time that a Democrat was elected governor of Alabama.
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County results Siegelman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% James: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The Republican primary took place on June 2 and saw no candidate secure over 50% of the vote, leading to a runoff on June 30. Incumbent Governor Fob James won the runoff to become the Republican nominee.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 163,711 | 47.96 | |
Republican | Winton Blount | 139,941 | 40.99 | |
Republican | Guy Hunt | 27,824 | 8.15 | |
Republican | Mac McAllister | 5,641 | 1.65 | |
Republican | Phil Williams | 4,258 | 1.25 | |
Total votes | 341,375 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 253,965 | 55.92 | |
Republican | Winton Blount | 200,200 | 44.08 | |
Total votes | 454,165 | 100.00 |
The Democratic primary took place on June 2 and saw Lieutenant Governor Don Siegelman easily chosen as the Democratic nominee over Birmingham attorney Lenora Pate and Wayne Sowell.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Don Siegelman | 254,507 | 78.26 | |
Democratic | Lenora Pate | 53,618 | 16.49 | |
Democratic | Wayne Sowell | 10,108 | 3.11 | |
Democratic | Lee Lamb | 6,597 | 2.03 | |
Total votes | 325,190 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Don Siegelman | 752,087 | 57.92 | +8.5 | |
Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 546,504 | 42.08 | -8.2 | |
Total votes | 1,298,591 | 100.00 | N/A | ||
Democratic gain from Republican |