1998 Maine gubernatorial election

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1998 Maine gubernatorial election
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←  1994 November 3, 1998 2002  →
  AngusKing.jpg Jimlongleyme.jpg
Nominee Angus King James B. Longley Jr.
Party Independent Republican
Popular vote246,77279,716
Percentage58.61%18.93%
  3x4.svg Me becky john katahdin street (cropped).jpg
Nominee Tom Connolly Pat LaMarche
Party Democratic Green
Popular vote50,50628,722
Percentage12.00%6.82%
1998 Maine gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
1998 Maine gubernatorial election results map by municipality.svg
King:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%
Longley:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     >90%
Connolly:     50–60%
Clarke:     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.

Contents

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. As of the 2022 election, this is the most recent time Maine elected an independent governor.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Thomas J. Connolly 36,954 81.72
Democratic Joseph Ricci8,26418.28
Total votes45,218 100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican James B. Longley, Jr. 38,192 66.04
Republican Henry L. Joy 11,41119.73
Republican Leo G. Martin8,22914.23
Total votes57,832 100.00

General election

Candidates

Endorsements

Tom Connolly

Individuals

Organizations

Publications

Angus King

Individuals

  • Ken Curtis, former Governor of Maine (1967–1975) (Democrat) [3]

Organizations

Jim Longley

Individuals

  • Jock McKernan, former Governor of Maine (1987–1995), former U.S. Representative for Maine's 1st congressional district (1983–1987) [3]
  • Olympia Snowe, U.S. Senator from Maine (1995–2013), former U.S. Representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district (1979–1995) [3]
Pat LaMarche

Individuals

Organizations

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size [a] 		Margin
of error		Angus
King (I)		James
Longley Jr. (R)		Thomas
Connolly (D)		Undecided
Strategic Marketing Services [6] October 6–11, 1998400 (LV)± 4.9%60%13%6%21%

Results

Connolly was inspired to run following King's handling of the January 1998 North American ice storm, which hit Maine particularly hard, [7] while Longley criticized Maine's tax burden and echoed the Republican line that King was a "Democrat in disguise." [8]

King won in a landslide, carrying all sixteen counties and almost every municipality in Maine. Longley did manage to carry 22 municipalities in rural Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Washington counties, and he also tied King in two other municipalities. Connolly would win only the Passamaquoddy Indian Township Reservation, though he did tie King 4–4 in Beddington, while Constitution Party candidate William P. Clarke Jr. would carry the town of Talmadge over King, eight votes to seven. Despite getting nearly twice the votes of Clarke, LaMarche would fail to carry any municipality, though she did manage to tie King in Allagash and come in second to King in Jackson. [9]

Maine gubernatorial election, 1998 [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Angus King (incumbent) 246,772 58.61% +23.25%
Republican James B. Longley Jr. 79,71618.93%−4.14%
Democratic Thomas J. Connolly 50,50612.00%−21.83%
Green Pat LaMarche 28,7226.82%+0.43%
Constitution William P. Clarke Jr.15,2933.63%
Majority 167,05639.68%+38.14%
Turnout 421,009
Independent hold Swing

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Independent

Counties that flipped from Republican to Independent

Notes

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

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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ""Chewing On The Issues: Dogging the Candidates for Governor"". Casco Bay Weekly . October 22, 1998. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Tom Connolly - Democratic Candidate for Governor of Maine". November 11, 1998. Archived from the original on November 11, 1998. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  5. ↑ Delaney, Bill (October 28, 1998). "Nice guy looks to finish first in Maine governor's race - October 28, 1998". www.cnn.com. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  6. ↑ "CNN AllPolitics Election '98 - Maine 1998 Polls". CNN. Archived from the original on June 26, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Lawyers, Guns, No Money". Bates Magazine. April 30, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  8. ↑ Higgins, A. Jay (March 1, 1998). "Longley plans gubernatorial bid". Bangor Daily News . Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "General Election Tabulations - November 3, 1998 | Governor, U.S. Congress, State Legislature". Maine.gov. Archived from the original on September 18, 2004.
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