For related races, see 1998 United States gubernatorial elections.
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 County resultsSiegelman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% James: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The Alabama gubernatorial election of 1998 was held on November 3, 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. This was the second of three consecutive Alabama gubernatorial elections in which the incumbent was defeated. As of 2024, this was the last time that a Democrat was elected governor of Alabama.
Republican primary
The Republican primary took place on June 2 and saw no candidate secure over 50% of the vote, leading to a runoff between Fob James and Winton Blount on June 30. The period leading up to the runoff election was marked by numerous insults and accusations by both candidates against each other. Incumbent Governor Fob James won the runoff 55% to 44%.
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
- Phil Williams Sr., former Director of the Alabama Department of Finance
Results
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 30-40%
| 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 | ||
Debate
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Winton Blount | Fob James | |||||
| 1 | Jun. 25, 1998 | WVTM-TV | Fran Curry | C-SPAN | P | P |
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 50–60%
| 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
- 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
Debate
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Fob James | Don Siegelman | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 6, 1998 | Junior League of Birmingham | Malena Cunningham | C-SPAN | P | P |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Don Siegelman | 752,087 | 57.92 | +8.5 | |
| Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 546,504 | 42.08 | −8.2 | |
| Total votes | 1,298,591 | 100.00 | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
References
- "Alabama's Republican Runoff Gets Nasty". CNN. June 30, 1998. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- 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.
External links
See also
 Alabama gubernatorial elections | |
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| (1997 ←) 1998 United States elections (→ 1999) | |
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| U.S. Senate |
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| U.S. House |
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| Governors |
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| Attorneys General | |
| State legislatures | |
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| States generally |
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