Summary
The 1998 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998 to elect the Governor of Idaho. Phil Batt, the Republican incumbent, chose not to run for a second term. The Republican nominee, United States Senator Dirk Kempthorne, handily defeated the Democratic nominee, former Idaho Supreme Court justice Robert C. Huntley, to keep the seat in GOP hands.
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 County results Kempthorne: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Huntley: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary edit
Candidates edit
- Dirk Kempthorne, U.S. Senator
- David W. Sheperd, perennial candidate
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dirk Kempthorne | 111,658 | 87.24 | |
| Republican | David W. Sheperd | 16,332 | 12.76 | |
| Total votes | 127,990 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic primary edit
Candidates edit
- Jack Wayne Chappell
- Robert C. Huntley, former Idaho Supreme Court Justice, former Idaho State Representative, former Pocatello city councilman
- Donald McMurrian
- William Tarnasky
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert C. Huntley | 14,638 | 54.27 | |
| Democratic | William Tarnasky | 4,769 | 17.68 | |
| Democratic | Jack Wayne Chappell | 4,666 | 17.30 | |
| Democratic | Donald McMurrian | 2,900 | 10.75 | |
| Total votes | 26,973 | 100.00 | ||
General election edit
Given the lack of a high-profile candidate on the Democratic side, throughout the campaign many considered Kempthorne's election a foregone conclusion. Indeed, Huntley's performance was well below that of the 1994 Democratic nominee Larry EchoHawk. In addition, Peter Rickards, a podiatrist and anti-nuclear waste advocate from Twin Falls, siphoned off progressive votes that would have otherwise gone to the Democratic candidate.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dirk Kempthorne | 258,095 | 67.70 | +15.41 | |
| Democratic | Robert C. Huntley | 110,815 | 29.07 | -14.81 | |
| Independent | Peter Rickards | 12,338 | 3.24 | ||
| Majority | 147,280 | 38.63 | +30.22 | ||
| Turnout | 381,248 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
See also edit
References edit
External links edit
- Idaho General Election Results November 3, 1998
| Preceded by 1994 |
Idaho gubernatorial elections | Succeeded by 2002 |