1998 Oregon gubernatorial election

Summary

The 1998 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998. Democratic nominee John Kitzhaber easily defeated Republican Bill Sizemore to win a second term. Kitzhaber won 35 out of 36 counties, the only county won by Sizemore was Malheur County. This is the only gubernatorial election since 1982 in Oregon in which the margin of victory was in double digits. It is also the most recent election in which any county in Eastern Oregon or Southern Oregon voted for the Democratic nominee, and the most recent gubernatorial election in which a candidate would win while carrying the majority of the state’s counties. Sizemore would run again for governor in the 2022 election, but would lose in the Republican primary.[1]

1998 Oregon gubernatorial election

← 1994 November 3, 1998 2002 →
 
Nominee John Kitzhaber Bill Sizemore
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 717,061 334,001
Percentage 64.4% 30.0%

County results
Kitzhaber:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Sizemore:      50–60%

Governor before election

John Kitzhaber
Democratic

Elected Governor

John Kitzhaber
Democratic

This election was the first time where an incumbent Democratic Governor of Oregon was re-elected since 1906.

Democratic primary edit

Results edit

Democratic primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Kitzhaber (incumbent) 271,781 87.74%
Democratic Dave Foley 23,870 7.71%
Democratic Paul Damian Wells 14,094 4.55%
Total votes 309,745 100.00%

Republican primary edit

Results edit

Republican primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bill Sizemore 108,036 52.16%
Republican Walter Huss 39,186 18.93%
Republican Jeffrey Brady 34,460 16.64%
Republican Bill Spidal 25,373 12.25%
Total votes 207,055 100.00%

Results edit

Official results from the Oregon Secretary of State are as follows:[4]

Oregon gubernatorial election, 1998
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Kitzhaber (incumbent) 717,061 64.42%
Republican Bill Sizemore 334,001 30.01%
Libertarian Richard P. Burke 20,200 1.81%
Pacific Green Blair Bobier 15,843 1.42%
Reform Roger G. Weidner 10,144 0.91%
Natural Law Patti Steurer 7,823 0.70%
Socialist Trey Smith 5,772 0.52%
Independent Write-ins 2,254 0.20%
Total votes 1,113,098 100.00%
Democratic hold

References edit

  1. ^ "Oregon Primary Election Results". The New York Times. May 17, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "OR Governor D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  3. ^ "OR Governor R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "Content Manager WebDrawer - 1998 General Election Official Results". records.sos.state.or.us. Retrieved February 5, 2010.