1998 Kansas gubernatorial election

1998 Kansas gubernatorial election

←  1994 November 3, 1998 2002  →

Nominee Bill Graves Tom Sawyer Party Republican Democratic Running mate Gary Sherrer Elizabeth Baker Popular vote 544,882 168,243 Percentage 73.4% 22.7%

County results Graves:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

Governor before election Bill Graves Republican Elected Governor Bill Graves Republican

The 1998 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Republican Governor Bill Graves won re-election in a 50% landslide over his opponent, State Representative Tom Sawyer, becoming the first Republican incumbent Governor of Kansas to win reelection since John Anderson Jr.’s reelection victory in 1962.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Tom Sawyer, Kansas State Representative
• Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church

Results

Democratic primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Sawyer	88,248	85.28
	Democratic	Fred Phelps	15,233	14.72
Total votes			103,481	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Bill Graves, incumbent governor of Kansas
• David Miller, former chairman of the Kansas Republican Party

Results

Republican primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Graves (inc.)	225,782	72.80
	Republican	David Miller	84,368	27.20
Total votes			310,150	100.00

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Bill Graves (R)	Tom Sawyer (D)	Undecided
Mason-Dixon [2]	July 6–8, 1998	804 (LV)	± 3.5%	67%	16%	17%

Results

Kansas gubernatorial election, 1998 ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bill Graves (inc.)	544,882	73.37%	+9.27%
	Democratic	Tom Sawyer	168,243	22.65%	−13.25%
	Constitution	Kirt Poovey	21,710	2.92%
	Reform	Darrel King	7,830	1.05%
Majority			376,639	50.71%	+22.53%
Turnout			742,665
	Republican hold		Swing

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear

References

1. "Kansas Secretary of State - Official 1998 Kansas Primary Election Results". Kssos.org. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
2. "CNN AllPolitics Election '98 - Kansas 1998 Polls". CNN. Archived from the original on June 26, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
3. "Kansas Secretary of State - Official 1998 Kansas General Election Results". Kssos.org. Retrieved April 3, 2019.