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County results Siegelman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% James: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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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.
The Republican primary took place on June 2 and saw no candidate secure over 50% of the vote, leading to a runoff between Fob James and Winton Blount on June 30. The period leading up to the runoff election was marked by numerous insults and accusations by both candidates against each other. [1] Incumbent Governor Fob James won the runoff 55% to 44%.
Elections in Alabama |
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Government |
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 |
No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | ||||||
Winton Blount | Fob James | |||||
1 | Jun. 25, 1998 | WVTM-TV | Fran Curry | C-SPAN | P | P |
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 |
No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | ||||||
Fob James | Don Siegelman | |||||
1 | Oct. 6, 1998 | Junior League of Birmingham | Malena Cunningham | C-SPAN | P | P |
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 |
Donald Eugene Siegelman is an American politician who was the 51st governor of Alabama from January 18, 1999 to January 20, 2003. A member of the Democratic Party, as of 2024, Siegelman is the last Democrat, as well as the only Catholic, to serve as Governor of Alabama to date.
Forrest Hood "Fob" James Jr. is an American politician, civil engineer, entrepreneur, and former football player. He served as the 48th governor of Alabama, first as a Democrat from 1979–1983, and then as a Republican from 1995–1999.
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The 1986 Alabama gubernatorial election saw the election of Republican H. Guy Hunt over Democrat Bill Baxley. In state politics, this election is largely seen as a realigning election since Hunt was the first Republican to be elected governor in 114 years – the last Republican to be elected was David P. Lewis in 1872 during the Reconstruction era. In March 1986, incumbent George Wallace announced that he would not seek a fifth term as governor, ending an era in Alabama politics.
Tim James is an American businessman and political candidate from Alabama. The son of former Alabama Governor Fob James, James is a toll road developer and contractor currently serving as the president of Tim James Inc., an infrastructure company. He sought and lost the Republican Party nomination for governor of Alabama three times, finishing third in the Republican primaries in 2002, 2010 and 2022.
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Ann Smith Bedsole is an American politician, businesswoman, community activist, and philanthropist. She was the first Republican woman to serve in the Alabama House of Representatives and, alongside Frances Strong, the first woman to serve in the Alabama Senate. In 2002, she was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor.
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