1998 Maine gubernatorial election

1998 Maine gubernatorial election

November 3, 1998

Nominee Angus King James B. Longley Jr. Party Independent Republican Popular vote 246,772 79,716 Percentage 58.6% 18.9%   Nominee Tom Connolly Pat LaMarche Party Democratic Green Popular vote 50,506 28,722 Percentage 12.0% 6.8%

County results Municipality results King:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Longley, Jr.:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      >90% Connolly:      50-60% Walker:      30-40% Tie:      40-50%      50%

Governor before election Angus King Independent Elected Governor Angus King Independent

The 1998 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998 to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Independent governor Angus King won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican nominee James B. Longley Jr., Democratic nominee Thomas J. Connolly, Green Independent nominee Pat LaMarche and Taxpayers' Party nominee William P. Clarke Jr.

This election was the first since 1982 in which the winning candidate received greater than 50% of the vote. This was not achieved again until 2018. This is currently the most recent election that Maine elected an independent governor.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Thomas J. Connolly, attorney and activist
• Joseph Ricci, founder of the Élan School

Results

Democratic primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas J. Connolly	36,954	81.72
	Democratic	Joseph Ricci	8,264	18.28
Total votes			45,218	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Henry L. Joy, State Representative
• James B. Longley Jr., former U.S. Representative and son of former governor James B. Longley, Sr.
• Leo G. Martin

Results

Republican primary results^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James B. Longley, Jr.	38,192	66.04
	Republican	Henry L. Joy	11,411	19.73
	Republican	Leo G. Martin	8,229	14.23
Total votes			57,832	100.00

General election

Candidates

• Angus King (independent), incumbent governor of Maine
• Thomas J. Connolly (Democratic), attorney
• James B. Longley Jr. (Republican), former U.S. Representative and son of former governor James B. Longley, Sr.
• Pat LaMarche (Green), public figure and activist
• William P. Clarke Jr. (Constitution)

Results

Maine gubernatorial election, 1998^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Angus King (incumbent)	246,772	58.61%	+23.25%
	Republican	James B. Longley Jr.	79,716	18.93%	−4.14%
	Democratic	Thomas J. Connolly	50,506	12.00%	−21.83%
	Green	Pat LaMarche	28,722	6.82%	+0.43%
	Constitution	William P. Clarke Jr.	15,293	3.63%
Majority			167,056	39.68%	+38.14%
Turnout			421,009
	Independent hold		Swing

References

1. "Maine Primary Election Results - June 9, 1998 | Governor - Democratic". Maine.gov. Archived from the original on September 12, 2003.
2. "Maine Primary Election Results - June 9, 1998 | Governor - Republican". Maine.gov. Archived from the original on October 23, 2004.
3. "General Election Tabulations - November 3, 1998 | Governor, U.S. Congress, State Legislature". Maine.gov. Archived from the original on September 18, 2004.