1998 Oregon gubernatorial election

1998 Oregon gubernatorial election

←  1994 November 3, 1998 2002  →

Nominee John Kitzhaber Bill Sizemore Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 717,061 334,001 Percentage 64.4% 30.0%

County results Kitzhaber:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Sizemore:      50–60%

Governor before election John Kitzhaber Democratic Elected Governor John Kitzhaber Democratic

The 1998 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998. Democratic nominee John Kitzhaber easily defeated Republican Bill Sizemore to win a second term. Kitzhaber won 35 out of 36 counties, the only county won by Sizemore was Malheur County. This is the only gubernatorial election since 1982 in Oregon in which the margin of victory was in double digits. It is also the most recent election in which any county in Eastern Oregon or Southern Oregon voted for the Democratic nominee, and the most recent gubernatorial election in which a candidate would win while carrying the majority of the state's counties. Sizemore would run again for governor in the 2022 election, but would lose in the Republican primary. ^[1]

This election was the first time where an incumbent Democratic Governor of Oregon was re-elected since 1906.

Democratic primary

Results

Democratic primary results ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Kitzhaber (incumbent)	271,781	87.74%
	Democratic	Dave Foley	23,870	7.71%
	Democratic	Paul Damian Wells	14,094	4.55%
Total votes			309,745	100.00%

Republican primary

Results by county:

Bill Sizemore

•   55–60%
    50–55%
    45–50%
    40–45%

Results

Republican primary results ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Sizemore	108,036	52.16%
	Republican	Walter Huss	39,186	18.93%
	Republican	Jeffrey Brady	34,460	16.64%
	Republican	Bill Spidal	25,373	12.25%
Total votes			207,055	100.00%

General election

Campaign

Incumbent governor Kitzhaber emphasized his support of education and the environment. ^[4]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	John Kitzhaber (D)	Bill Sizemore (R)	Undecided
Davis & Hibbitts [5]	September 30 – October 6, 1998	618 (LV)	± 4.0%	70%	17%	13%
Davis & Hibbitts [5]	March 20–29, 1998	618 (LV)	± 4.0%	67%	26%	7%

Results

Official results from the Oregon Secretary of State are as follows: ^[6]

Oregon gubernatorial election, 1998

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Kitzhaber (incumbent)	717,061	64.42%
	Republican	Bill Sizemore	334,001	30.01%
	Libertarian	Richard P. Burke	20,200	1.81%
	Pacific Green	Blair Bobier	15,843	1.42%
	Reform	Roger G. Weidner	10,144	0.91%
	Natural Law	Patti Steurer	7,823	0.70%
	Socialist	Trey Smith	5,772	0.52%
	Independent	Write-ins	2,254	0.20%
Total votes			1,113,098	100.00%
	Democratic hold

Notes

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

References

1. "Oregon Primary Election Results". The New York Times. May 17, 2022. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 20, 2022.
2. "OR Governor D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
3. "OR Governor R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
4. Niebuhr, Gustav. "THE 1998 ELECTIONS: STATE BY STATE -- WEST; OREGON". Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
5. "CNN AllPolitics Election '98 - Oregon 1998 Polls". CNN. Archived from the original on June 29, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
6. "Content Manager WebDrawer - 1998 General Election Official Results". records.sos.state.or.us. Retrieved February 5, 2010.