1998 New York Attorney General election
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The 1998 New York Attorney General election took place on November 3, 1998 along with elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Democratic challenger Eliot Spitzer unseated one-term Republican incumbent Dennis Vacco in a major upset, with Vacco conceding on December 14, after accusing New York City voters, primarily in predominantly Black and Latino areas, of voter fraud.[1][2]
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November 3, 1998
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 County results Spitzer: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Vacco: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Catherine Abate, State Senator from Manhattan
- Evan A. Davis, former counsel to Governor Mario Cuomo
- Oliver Koppell, former Attorney General and State Assemblyman from the Bronx
- Eliot Spitzer, white collar defense attorney and candidate in 1994
Polling
| Source | Date | Oliver Koppell | Catherine Abate | Eliot Spitzer | Evan Davis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac | February 26, 1998 | 7% | 7% | 2% | 5% |
| Quinnipiac | July 16, 1998 | 16% | 13% | 18% | - |
Statewide Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eliot Spitzer | 279,180 | 41.54% | ||
| Democratic | Catherine Abate | 186,626 | 27.77% | ||
| Democratic | Oliver Koppell | 145,231 | 21.61% | ||
| Democratic | Evan A. Davis | 60,978 | 9.07% | ||
| Majority | 92,554 | 13.77% | |||
| Turnout | 672,015 | % | |||
General election
Polling
| Source | Date | Dennis Vacco (R) | Eliot Spitzer (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac | September 27, 1998 | 46% | 37% |
| Quinnipiac | October 15, 1998 | 45% | 33% |
| Quinnipiac | October 28, 1998 | 47% | 34% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eliot Spitzer | 2,018,591 | 46.67% | +1.63% | ||
| Liberal | Eliot Spitzer | 66,357 | 1.53% | −0.81% | ||
| Total | Eliot Spitzer | 2,084,948 | 48.20% | +0.82% | ||
| Republican | Dennis Vacco | 1,757,539 | 40.63% | −2.08% | ||
| Conservative | Dennis Vacco | 302,223 | 6.99% | +0.42% | ||
| Total | Dennis Vacco (incumbent) | 2,059,762 | 47.62% | −1.66% | ||
| Independence | Catherine M. Abate | 81,439 | 1.88% | +1.07% | ||
| Right to Life | Robert W. Dapelo | 60,399 | 1.40% | −0.44% | ||
| Libertarian | Daniel A. Conti Jr. | 19,864 | 0.46% | +0.05% | ||
| Green | Johann L. Moore | 18,984 | 0.44% | NA | ||
| Turnout | 4,325,396 | −7.65% | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
