Idaho gubernatorial election, 1998

Last updated
Idaho gubernatorial election, 1998
Flag of Idaho.svg
  1994 November 3, 1998 2002  

  Dirkkempthornesenate.jpg No image.svg
Nominee Dirk Kempthorne Robert Huntley
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote258,095110,815
Percentage67.7%29.1%

Idaho Gubernatorial Election Results by County, 1998.svg
County Results

Kempthorne:
     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

Contents

Huntley:     50–60%

Governor before election

Phil Batt
Republican

Elected Governor

Dirk Kempthorne
Republican

The 1998 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998 to elect the Governor of Idaho. Phil Batt, the Republican incumbent, chose not to run for a second term. The Republican nominee, United States Senator Dirk Kempthorne, handily defeated the Democratic nominee, former Idaho Supreme Court justice Robert C. Huntley, to keep the seat in GOP hands.

Phil Batt American politician

Philip Eugene Batt is an American author and former politician who served as the 29th Governor of Idaho, from 1995 to 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Republican Party (United States) Major political party in the United States

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.

Dirk Kempthorne 49th United States Secretary of the Interior

Dirk Arthur Kempthorne is an American politician who was the United States Secretary of the Interior from 2006 to 2009, serving under President George W. Bush. A Republican, Kempthorne previously served as a United States Senator from Idaho from 1993 to 1999 and as the 30th Governor of Idaho from 1999 to 2006. He is known for his conservative views, particularly on economic issues.

Republican Primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Dirk Kempthorne111,65887.24
Republican David W. Sheperd16,33212.76
Total votes127,990100.00

Democratic Primary

Candidates

Robert C. "Bob" Huntley is an American politician. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Idaho in 1998. Huntley is an attorney in Boise.

Idaho Supreme Court the highest court in the U.S. state of Idaho

The Idaho Supreme Court is the state supreme court of Idaho and is composed of the chief justice and four associate justices.

Idaho House of Representatives lower house of U.S. state legislature

The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elect two representatives. It meets at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho.

Results

Democratic Primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Robert C. Huntley14,63854.27
Democratic William Tarnasky4,76917.68
Democratic Jack Wayne Chappell4,66617.30
Democratic Donald McMurrian2,90010.75
Total votes26,973100.00

General election

Given the lack of a high-profile candidate on the Democratic side, throughout the campaign many considered Kempthorne's election a foregone conclusion. Indeed, Huntley's performance was well below that of the 1994 Democratic nominee Larry EchoHawk. In addition, Peter Rickards, a podiatrist and anti-nuclear waste advocate from Twin Falls, siphoned off progressive votes that would have otherwise gone to the Democratic candidate.

Twin Falls, Idaho City in Idaho, United States

Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 44,125 as of the 2010 census.

Idaho gubernatorial election, 1998 [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Republican Dirk Kempthorne 258,095 67.70 +15.41
Democratic Robert C. Huntley 110,81529.07-14.81
IndependentPeter Rickards12,3383.24
Majority147,28038.63+30.22
Turnout 381,248
Republican hold Swing

See also

Idaho gubernatorial elections

Idaho gubernatorial elections have been held since statehood in 1890 to directly elect the Governor of Idaho. After the initial election was held in October 1890, each subsequent election was held every two years in November until 1946. Elections after 1946 were held in November every four years.

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Richard H. Stallings American politician

Richard Howard Stallings is a Democratic politician from the state of Idaho, representing Idaho's 2nd congressional district from 1985 to 1993.

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The Idaho gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Governor Jim Risch succeeded Dirk Kempthorne, who resigned May 26 to become Secretary of the Interior. Risch served as governor until the end of the term, but had committed to a reelection campaign for Lieutenant Governor before Kempthorne's appointment and subsequent resignation.

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References

Preceded by
1994
Idaho gubernatorial elections Succeeded by
2002