1998 Alabama gubernatorial election
The Alabama gubernatorial election of 1998 was held on 3 November 1998 to select the Governor of Alabama. The election saw incumbent Governor Fob James (R) against Lieutenant Governor Don Siegelman (D). The result saw Don Siegelman win a decisive victory over Fob James. As of 2020, this is the most recent election in which a Democrat was elected Governor of Alabama.
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![]() County results Siegelman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% James: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Alabama | ||||||||
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Republican primary
The Republican primary took place on June 2 and saw no candidate secure over 50% of the vote, leading to a runoff on June 30. Incumbent Governor Fob James won the runoff to become the Republican nominee.
Candidates
- Winton Blount, businessman, candidate for Governor in 1994 and son of former U.S. Postmaster General Winton M. Blount
- Guy Hunt, former Governor
- Fob James, incumbent Governor
- Mac McAllister, businessman[1]
- Phil Williams, Sr., former Director of the Alabama Department of Finance
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 163,711 | 47.96 | |
Republican | Winton Blount | 139,941 | 40.99 | |
Republican | Guy Hunt | 27,824 | 8.15 | |
Republican | Mac McAllister | 5,641 | 1.65 | |
Republican | Phil Williams | 4,258 | 1.25 | |
Total votes | 341,375 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 253,965 | 55.92 | |
Republican | Winton Blount | 200,200 | 44.08 | |
Total votes | 454,165 | 100.00 |
Democratic primary
The Democratic primary took place on June 2 and saw Lieutenant Governor Don Siegelman easily chosen as the Democratic nominee over Birmingham attorney Lenora Pate and Wayne Sowell.
Candidates
- Lee Lamb
- Lenora Pate, attorney and former Director of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations[4]
- Don Siegelman, Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Don Siegelman | 254,507 | 78.26 | |
Democratic | Lenora Pate | 53,618 | 16.49 | |
Democratic | Wayne Sowell | 10,108 | 3.11 | |
Democratic | Lee Lamb | 6,597 | 2.03 | |
Total votes | 325,190 | 100.00 |
General election results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Don Siegelman | 752,087 | 57.9 | +8.5 | |
Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 546,504 | 42.1 | -8.2 | |
Total votes | 1,298,591 | 100.0 | N/A | ||
Democratic gain from Republican |
References
- Sack, Kevin (June 3, 1998). "Alabama Governor Forced Into Runoff in 3d-Term Bid". The New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- "Alabama Primary Results - June 3, 1998". www.cnn.com.
- "Alabama Runoff Results - June 30, 1998". www.cnn.com.
- "Alabama Governor: The Candidates". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2014.