1998 Maryland gubernatorial election

1998 Maryland gubernatorial election

←  1994 November 3, 1998 2002  →
Turnout	60.59% 0.08% [1]
Nominee Parris Glendening Ellen Sauerbrey Party Democratic Republican Running mate Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Richard D. Bennett Popular vote 846,972 688,357 Percentage 55.14% 44.82%
County results Glendening:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Sauerbrey:     50–60%     60–70%
Governor before election Parris Glendening Democratic Elected Governor Parris Glendening Democratic

The 1998 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Democratic governor Parris Glendening sought re-election. Governor Glendening emerged victorious from the Democratic primary after defeating several candidates. Former state delegate Ellen Sauerbrey, who was the 1994 Republican nominee for governor, ran again for governor and won her party's nomination. The election between Glendening and Sauerbrey four years prior was extremely contentious, and ended with the Sauerbrey campaign challenging the results. ^[2] Ultimately, despite the controversial nature of the previous election, Governor Glendening comfortably beat back Sauerbrey's spirited challenge, winning his second and final term as governor. As of 2024 ^[update] , this was the last time that Allegany County voted Democratic in a gubernatorial election and the last time that the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee of the winning ticket was not a person of color.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Lawrence K. Freeman, Lyndon LaRouche activist and perennial candidate
• Parris Glendening, incumbent governor of Maryland
• Terence McGuire, physician
• Eileen M. Rehrmann, Harford County Executive

Withdrew

• Ray Schoenke, Insurance executive retired professional football player ^[3]

Results

Democratic primary results ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Parris Glendening (inc.)	296,863	70.09
	Democratic	Eileen M. Rehrmann	56,806	13.41
	Democratic	Terence McGuire	46,124	10.89
	Democratic	Lawrence K. Freeman	23,752	5.61
Total votes			423,545	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Charles I. Ecker, Howard County Executive
• Ellen Sauerbrey, former State Delegate and nominee for governor in 1994

Republican primary results ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ellen Sauerbrey	175,633	81.03
	Republican	Charles I. Ecker	41,126	18.97
Total votes			216,759	100.00

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Parris Glendening (D)	Ellen Sauerbrey (R)	Undecided
Mason-Dixon [5]	October 26–28, 1998	827 (LV)	± 3.5%	44%	43%	13%
Potomac Survey Research [5] [A]	October 23–25, 1998	1,205 (LV)	± 2.8%	52%	44%	4%
Washington Post [5]	October 18–22, 1998	919 (LV)	± 3.0%	49%	44%	7%
Mason-Dixon [5]	October 15–17, 1998	821 (LV)	± 3.5%	46%	44%	10%
Potomac Survey Research [5] [A]	September 29 – October 3, 1998	1,204 (LV)	± 3.0%	45%	47%	8%
Mason-Dixon [5]	September 18–20, 1998	804 (LV)	± 3.5%	45%	44%	11%
Potomac Survey Research [5] [A]	September 3–7, 1998	1,204 (LV)	± 2.8%	45%	44%	11%
Mason-Dixon [5]	July 16–18, 1998	847 (LV)	± 3.5%	48%	41%	11%
Potomac Survey Research [5] [A]	July 9–13, 1998	1,204 (LV)	± 2.8%	44%	38%	18%
Washington Post [5]	June 11–17, 1998	1,055 (RV)	± 3.0%	50%	38%	12%
Mason-Dixon [5]	April 2–5, 1998	803 (LV)	± 3.5%	45%	41%	14%
Mason-Dixon [5]	January 14–16, 1998	801 (LV)	± 3.5%	43%	40%	17%
Mason-Dixon [5]	July 17–19, 1997	805 (RV)	± 3.5%	42%	45%	13%
Mason-Dixon [5]	January 7–10, 1997	803 (RV)	± 3.3%	44%	37%	19%

Results

Maryland gubernatorial election, 1998 ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Parris Glendening (inc.)	846,972	55.14%	+4.93%
	Republican	Ellen Sauerbrey	688,357	44.82%	−4.97%
	Write-ins		649	0.04%
Majority			158,615	10.33%	+9.90%
Turnout			1,535,978
	Democratic hold		Swing

Notes

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

Partisan clients

1. Poll sponsored by The Baltimore Sun

References

1. "1998 Gubernatorial Election". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections . Retrieved May 1, 2022.
2. "Sauerbrey aides say discrepancies prove vote fraud". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
3. "Washingtonpost.com: Schoenke Abandons Md. Governor's Race". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
4. "1998 Gubernatorial Election".
5. "CNN AllPolitics Election '98 - Maryland 1998 Polls". CNN. Archived from the original on June 26, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
6. "1998 Gubernatorial Election".