1998 Maine gubernatorial election
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The 1998 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998 to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Independent governor Angus King won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican nominee James B. Longley Jr., Democratic nominee Thomas J. Connolly, Green Independent nominee Pat LaMarche and Taxpayers' Party nominee William P. Clarke Jr.
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November 3, 1998
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  King: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Longley: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% >90% Connolly: 50–60% Clarke: 30–40% Tie: 40–50% 50% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This election was the first since 1982 in which the winning candidate received greater than 50% of the vote; this was not achieved again until 2018. This is currently the most recent election that Maine elected an independent governor. It is also the most recent gubernatorial election in which a candidate won every county in the state.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Thomas J. Connolly, attorney and activist
- Joseph Ricci, founder of the Élan School and owner of Scarborough Downs
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thomas J. Connolly | 36,954 | 81.72 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Ricci | 8,264 | 18.28 | |
| Total votes | 45,218 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Henry L. Joy, State Representative
- James B. Longley Jr., former U.S. Representative and son of former governor James B. Longley, Sr.
- Leo G. Martin
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James B. Longley, Jr. | 38,192 | 66.04 | |
| Republican | Henry L. Joy | 11,411 | 19.73 | |
| Republican | Leo G. Martin | 8,229 | 14.23 | |
| Total votes | 57,832 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Candidates
- Angus King (independent), incumbent governor of Maine
- Thomas J. Connolly (Democratic), attorney
- James B. Longley Jr. (Republican), former U.S. Representative and son of former governor James B. Longley, Sr.
- Pat LaMarche (Green), public figure and activist
- William P. Clarke Jr. (Constitution)
Endorsements
Individuals
- Joseph E. Brennan, former Governor of Maine (1979–1987), former U.S. Representative for Maine's 1st congressional district (1987–1991)[3]
- George J. Mitchell, former U.S. Senator from Maine (1980–1995), former Senate Majority Leader (1989–1995)[4]
Organizations
Publications
Individuals
- Ken Curtis, former Governor of Maine (1967–1975) (Democrat)[3]
Organizations
- Maine Education Association[3]
- Sportsman's Alliance of Maine[3]
Individuals
- Jock McKernan, former Governor of Maine (1987–1995), former U.S. Representative for Maine's 1st congressional district (1983–1987)[3]
- Olympia Snowe, U.S. Senator from Maine (1995–2013), former U.S. Representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district (1979–1995)[3]
Individuals
- Jonathan Carter, scientist, Green nominee for Governor of Maine in 1994[3]
Organizations
Polling
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Angus King (incumbent) | 246,772 | 58.61% | +23.25% | |
| Republican | James B. Longley Jr. | 79,716 | 18.93% | −4.14% | |
| Democratic | Thomas J. Connolly | 50,506 | 12.00% | −21.83% | |
| Green | Pat LaMarche | 28,722 | 6.82% | +0.43% | |
| Constitution | William P. Clarke Jr. | 15,293 | 3.63% | N/A | |
| Majority | 167,056 | 39.68% | +38.14% | ||
| Turnout | 421,009 | ||||
| Independent hold | Swing | ||||
By county
| County | Angus King Independent |
James B. Longley Jr. Republican |
Thomas Connolly Democratic |
Patricia LaMarche Green |
William P. Clarke Jr. Constitution |
Margin | Total votes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Androscoggin | 20,036 | 62.4% | 5,248 | 16.3% | 3,939 | 12.3% | 1,399 | 4.4% | 1,512 | 4.7% | 14,788 | 46.1% | 32,134 |
| Aroostook | 11,609 | 51.3% | 5,274 | 23.3% | 3,090 | 13.7% | 1,543 | 6.8% | 1,100 | 4.9% | 6,335 | 28.0% | 22,616 |
| Cumberland | 59,664 | 61.6% | 16,583 | 17.1% | 13,222 | 13.7% | 5,555 | 5.7% | 1,798 | 1.9% | 43,081 | 44.5% | 96,822 |
| Franklin | 6,211 | 61.4% | 1,686 | 16.7% | 1,316 | 13.0% | 589 | 5.8% | 306 | 3.0% | 4,525 | 44.7% | 10,108 |
| Hancock | 9,666 | 53.5% | 3,646 | 20.2% | 1,532 | 8.5% | 2,408 | 13.3% | 823 | 4.6% | 6,020 | 23.3% | 18,075 |
| Kennebec | 22,221 | 59.1% | 6,349 | 16.9% | 46,90 | 12.5% | 2,802 | 7.5% | 1,529 | 4.1% | 15,872 | 42.2% | 37,591 |
| Knox | 8,301 | 60.7% | 2,548 | 18.6% | 1,174 | 8.6% | 1,163 | 8.5% | 487 | 3.6% | 5,753 | 42.1% | 13,673 |
| Lincoln | 8,627 | 62.1% | 2,672 | 19.2% | 1,205 | 8.7% | 994 | 7.2% | 388 | 2.8% | 5,955 | 42.9% | 13,886 |
| Oxford | 10,818 | 62.9% | 2,843 | 16.5% | 2,047 | 11.9% | 815 | 4.7% | 676 | 3.9% | 7,975 | 46.4% | 17,199 |
| Penobscot | 23,107 | 50.1% | 10,863 | 23.5% | 5,486 | 11.9% | 4,173 | 9.0% | 2,516 | 5.5% | 12,244 | 26.6% | 46,145 |
| Piscataquis | 3,313 | 50.2% | 1,752 | 26.6% | 708 | 10.7% | 446 | 6.8% | 378 | 5.7% | 1,561 | 23.6% | 6,597 |
| Sagadahoc | 7,807 | 64.4% | 1,979 | 16.3% | 1,148 | 9.5% | 821 | 6.8% | 367 | 3.0% | 5,828 | 48.1% | 12,122 |
| Somerset | 8,596 | 54.0% | 3,534 | 22.2% | 1,845 | 11.6% | 1,208 | 7.6% | 729 | 4.6% | 5,062 | 31.8% | 15,912 |
| Waldo | 5,954 | 51.2% | 2,468 | 21.2% | 1,090 | 9.4% | 1,444 | 12.4% | 677 | 5.8% | 3,486 | 30.0% | 11,633 |
| Washington | 4,926 | 44.9% | 2,909 | 26.5% | 1,416 | 12.9% | 999 | 9.1% | 714 | 6.5% | 2,017 | 18.4% | 10,964 |
| York | 35,916 | 64.7% | 9,362 | 16.9% | 6,598 | 11.9% | 2,363 | 4.3% | 1,293 | 2.3% | 26,554 | 47.8% | 55,532 |
| Totals | 246,772 | 58.6% | 79,716 | 18.9% | 50,506 | 12.0% | 28,722 | 6.8% | 15,293 | 3.6% | 167,056 | 39.7% | 421,009 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Independent
Counties that flipped from Republican to Independent
- Aroostook (largest city: Presque Isle)
- Hancock (largest town: Ellsworth)
- Penobscot (largest city: Bangor)
- Piscataquis (largest municipality: Dover-Foxcroft)
- Washington (largest city: Calais)
Analysis
Connolly was inspired to run following King's handling of the January 1998 North American ice storm, which hit Maine particularly hard,[8] while Longley criticized Maine's tax burden and echoed the Republican line that King was a "Democrat in disguise."[9]
King won in a landslide, carrying all sixteen counties and almost every municipality in Maine. Longley did manage to carry 22 municipalities in rural northern and eastern Maine, and he also tied King in two other municipalities. Connolly would win only the Passamaquoddy Indian Township Reservation, though he did tie King 4–4 in Beddington, while Constitution Party candidate William P. Clarke Jr. would carry the town of Talmadge over King, eight votes to seven. Despite getting nearly twice the votes of Clarke, LaMarche would fail to carry any municipality, though she did manage to tie King in Allagash and come in second to King in Jackson.[7]
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear