1998 Hawaii gubernatorial election

The 1998 Hawaii gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Democratic Governor of Hawaii Ben Cayetano ran for re-election to a second and final term, and he was contested by Maui Mayor Linda Lingle. The race between Cayetano and Lingle was close, with Lingle holding a sizable polling advantage.[1] Ultimately, Cayetano narrowly won re-election to a second term in the closest gubernatorial election in Hawaii's history.

1998 Hawaii gubernatorial election

← 1994 November 3, 1998 2002 →
 
Nominee Ben Cayetano Linda Lingle
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Mazie Hirono Stan Koki
Popular vote 204,206 198,952
Percentage 50.1% 48.8%

County results
Cayetano:      50–60%
Lingle:      40–50%      50–60%

Governor before election

Ben Cayetano
Democratic

Elected Governor

Ben Cayetano
Democratic

This, alongside the 1966 elections, is the only time a Democrat was elected governor without sweeping every county in the state. Lingle later won Hawaii's governorship in 2002 when Cayetano was term-limited; she was re-elected in 2006.

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Democratic primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ben Cayetano (incumbent) 95,797 86.40
Democratic Jim Brewer 6,169 5.56
Democratic Richard C. S. Ho 3,024 2.73
Democratic Fred K. Tamura 2,740 2.47
Democratic Raymond N. Onaga 1,651 1.49
Democratic Miles F. Shiratori 1,499 1.35
Total votes 110,880 100.00

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Republican primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Linda Lingle 109,061 69.22
Republican Frank F. Fasi 48,488 30.78
Total votes 157,549 100.00

General election

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Results

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Hawaii gubernatorial election, 1998[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Ben Cayetano (incumbent) 204,206 50.11% +13.53%
Republican Linda Lingle 198,952 48.82% +18.15%
Libertarian George Peabody 4,398 1.08%
Majority 5,254 1.29% −4.62%
Turnout 407,556
Democratic hold Swing

References

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  1. ^ Silver, Nate (November 6, 2014). "Why Polls Missed A Shocker In Virginia's Senate Race". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Office of Elections".
  3. ^ "Office of Elections".