The 1998 California gubernatorial election was an election that occurred on November 3, 1998, resulting in the election of Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis as the state's first Democratic governor in 16 years. Davis won the general election by an almost 20% margin over his closest opponent, Republican Attorney General Dan Lungren. Davis succeeded Pete Wilson, who was term limited. The 1998 California gubernatorial election featured the state's only gubernatorial blanket primary, a practice which was later struck down in United States Supreme Court in California Democratic Party v. Jones in 2000.
The primary occurred on June 2, 1998. Davis defeated fellow Democrats Jane Harman and Al Checchi for the Democratic nomination. Davis received more votes than Lungren, who ran against less well-known opponents in the Republican primary. The primary set a record for spending in a California gubernatorial primary. Davis won 30 of California's 58 counties; no Democrat would win a majority of the counties again until Gavin Newsom in 2018.[a] Davis carried Mono County by a single vote, becoming the first Democratic candidate to ever carry that county in a gubernatorial election.[b] This is the most recent gubernatorial election in which a Democrat carried Amador County, Kings County, Riverside County, and Trinity County. San Bernardino County would not back a Democrat again until 2018.
Primary election
The Democratic field for the race became open when the state's most well-known and popular politician, Senator Dianne Feinstein, decided in January 1998 not to run for governor despite a request from President Bill Clinton. She decided not to run in the race because of the difficulty of campaigning, the "deteriorated" nature of California statewide campaigns, and her desire to continue her work in the Senate.[1] Former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta also decided not to run.[2]
Al Checchi, a Democratic airline executive and political newcomer, was among the first to declare for the race. Gray Davis also declared around the same time. Congresswoman Jane Harman joined the contest in early April 1998. In early polling the three candidates were within 12 points of each other, with Davis in last.[3] Harman spent $14.4 million in her race for governor.[4] Checchi spent just under $39 million on his campaign.[4] The airline executive's campaign included numerous advertisings, one of which included school children trying to pronounce his name and another with his wife speaking Spanish.[2] Checchi did not identify himself as a Democrat in most of his early campaign advertisings.[5] Harman briefly overtook Checchi in state polls but declined after Checchi launched a series of negative campaign advertisings against her.[6] Many of Feinstein's top campaign advisers worked for Harman during the Gubernatorial primary. Harman's campaign ran a biographical ad of her at the 1960 Democratic National Convention.[2]
Davis ran on the campaign slogan "experience money can't buy", and he promised to make education his top priority, which matched voters' concerns in exit polls. All three major Democratic candidates made education one of their top priorities in the campaign.[6] Davis was third in polling until the final week of the campaign, and because he had trouble raising money during the early months of the campaign, he did not run campaign advertisings early in the race as did Harman and Checchi.[2] Davis spent 9 million in total campaign funds in the primary,[4] and later criticized Checchi for giving money to Republicans Steve Forbes and Bob Dole in 1996.[2] Davis finished first in the primary, followed by Lungren, Checchi, and Harman. Lungren spent $7.7 million in the primary.[4]
Gray Davis won the general election by almost 20% over Dan Lungren. Davis outspent Lungren 28.6 million to 23.8 million.[4] Davis tried to portray Lungren as too conservative. In one debate, Davis attacked Lungren for voting against a Safe Drinking Water Bill in the 1980s while Lungren tried to cast himself as the political heir of former California Governor Ronald Reagan. The policy differences between Davis and Lungren were substantial. Davis was pro-abortion rights in a staunchly pro-abortion-rights state, and Lungren was anti-abortion rights. Lungren favored giving children abstinence only education. Both candidates were Roman Catholic. Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Bob Kerrey made campaign stops in California on Davis's behalf.[11][12]
Davis succeeded in casting Lungren as too far right for California. Even normally conservative San Diego County went for Davis, and – foreshadowing their Democratic trends in the 21st century — remote high mountain Mono County backed a Democratic Governor for the first time ever, and adjacent Alpine County for the first time since 1978. Upon his victory, Davis promised he would focus his attention on education and would convene a special session of the legislature.[13] The race determined who would control reapportionment of congressional districts after the 2000 census.[6]
↑ John R. McConnell, the Southern Democratic nominee in 1861, had won Mono County; 1861 was the first election that Mono County participated in. Independent John Bidwell also won Mono County in 1875. Until 1998, these were the only two elections in which the Republican candidate failed to carry Mono County.
1 2 Total votes cast for candidates; does not include blank votes. The percentages in the Statement of Vote are based on this total, while the percentage for blank votes is calculated using the combined total of valid votes and blank votes.
↑ Key: A – all adults RV – registered voters LV – likely voters V – unclear
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