1998 Colorado gubernatorial election

1998 Colorado gubernatorial election
	County results; Owens: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%; Schoettler: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Governor before election; Roy Romer; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Bill Owens; Republican

The 1998 Colorado gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998 to select the governor of the state of Colorado. Under newly applicable term limits, incumbent Governor Roy Romer, a Democrat, was unable to seek re-election. Lieutenant Governor Gail Schoettler, ran to succeed Romer, and won the Democratic primary; her running mate, Bernie Buescher, won the lieutenant-gubernatorial primary unopposed. In the Republican primary, Bill Owens, the State Treasurer, and his eventual running mate, Joe Rogers, won their respective primaries by wide margins.

In the general election, Owens narrowly defeated Schoettler, aided by a strong performance by Republican U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell in his re-election campaign. Owens's narrow election meant that he was the first Republican Governor in 24 years, and Rogers's election made him the second Black Lieutenant Governor in the state's history, after George L. Brown, who was elected in 1974. This was also the last election in which Colorado held separate primary elections for governor and lieutenant governor; following a statutory change in 2000, gubernatorial candidates selected their running mates prior to the primary.^[1]

Democratic primary

Governor

Candidates

Gail Schoettler, Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
Mike Feeley, Minority Leader of the Colorado State Senate

Results

Democratic primary results^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gail Schoettler	80,038	55.51
	Democratic	Mike Feeley	64,034	44.41
	Democratic	Write-ins	125	0.09
Total votes			144,191	100.00

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

Bernie Buescher, former Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing

Results

Democratic primary results^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bernie Buescher	111,786	99.68
	Democratic	Write-ins	355	0.32
Total votes			112,141	100.00

Republican primary

Governor

Candidates

Bill Owens, Colorado State Treasurer
Tom Norton, President of the Colorado State Senate

Results

Republican primary results^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Owens	126,816	59.20
	Republican	Tom Norton	87,214	40.71
	Republican	Write-ins	186	0.09
Total votes			214,216	100.00

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

Joe Rogers, former Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Hank Brown, 1996 Republican nominee for Colorado's 1st congressional district
Jim Congrove, State Senator

Results

Republican primary results^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joe Rogers	109,781	57.72
	Republican	Jim Congrove	80,246	42.19
	Republican	Write-ins	173	0.09
Total votes			190,200	100.00

General election

1998 Colorado gubernatorial election^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bill Owens	645,806	49.04%	+10.36%
	Democratic	Gail Schoettler	637,655	48.42%	−7.05%
	Libertarian	Sandra D. Johnson	22,150	1.68%	–
	Constitution	Tim Leonard	10,966	0.83%	−2.79%
Majority			8,151	0.62%	−16.15%
Turnout			1,316,939
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

References

^ Yeargain, T. Quinn (2021). "One Vote, Two Winners: Team-Ticket Gubernatorial Elections and the Need for Further Reform". University of Miami Law Review. 75 (3): 779. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Davidson, Donetta (1999). State of Colorado Abstract of Votes Cast 1997-1998-1999 (PDF). Denver, Colorado: Colorado Secretary of State.

External links

1998 CO governor election results at cnn.com

[1] Yeargain, T. Quinn (2021). "One Vote, Two Winners: Team-Ticket Gubernatorial Elections and the Need for Further Reform". University of Miami Law Review. 75 (3): 779. Retrieved June 14, 2021.

[1998_election_results-2] Davidson, Donetta (1999). State of Colorado Abstract of Votes Cast 1997-1998-1999 (PDF). Denver, Colorado: Colorado Secretary of State.

[1]

[2]