The 1998 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Democratic governor Parris Glendening sought re-election. Governor Glendening emerged victorious from the Democratic primary after defeating several candidates. Former state delegate Ellen Sauerbrey, who was the 1994 Republican nominee for governor, ran again for governor and won her party's nomination. The election between Glendening and Sauerbrey four years prior was extremely contentious, and ended with the Sauerbrey campaign challenging the results.[2] Ultimately, despite the controversial nature of the previous election, Governor Glendening comfortably beat back Sauerbrey's spirited challenge, winning his second and final term as governor. As of 2024[update], this was the last time that Allegany County voted Democratic in a gubernatorial election and the last time that the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee of the winning ticket was not a person of color.
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| Turnout | 60.59%  0.08%[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Glendening: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Sauerbrey: 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Lawrence K. Freeman, Lyndon LaRouche activist and perennial candidate
- Parris Glendening, incumbent governor of Maryland
- Terence McGuire, physician
- Eileen M. Rehrmann, Harford County Executive
Withdrew
edit- Ray Schoenke, Insurance executive retired professional football player[3]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Parris Glendening (inc.) | 296,863 | 70.09 | |
| Democratic | Eileen M. Rehrmann | 56,806 | 13.41 | |
| Democratic | Terence McGuire | 46,124 | 10.89 | |
| Democratic | Lawrence K. Freeman | 23,752 | 5.61 | |
| Total votes | 423,545 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Charles I. Ecker, Howard County Executive
- Ellen Sauerbrey, former State Delegate and nominee for governor in 1994
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ellen Sauerbrey | 175,633 | 81.03 | |
| Republican | Charles I. Ecker | 41,126 | 18.97 | |
| Total votes | 216,759 | 100.00 | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Parris Glendening (inc.) | 846,972 | 55.14% | +4.93% | |
| Republican | Ellen Sauerbrey | 688,357 | 44.82% | −4.97% | |
| Write-ins | 649 | 0.04% | |||
| Majority | 158,615 | 10.33% | +9.90% | ||
| Turnout | 1,535,978 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
References
edit- ^ "1998 Gubernatorial Election". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Sauerbrey aides say discrepancies prove vote fraud". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "Washingtonpost.com: Schoenke Abandons Md. Governor's Race". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "1998 Gubernatorial Election".
- ^ "1998 Gubernatorial Election".