1998 Maryland gubernatorial election

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, 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.

1998 Maryland gubernatorial election

← 1994 November 3, 1998 2002 →
Turnout60.59% Decrease 0.08%[1]
 
Nominee Parris Glendening Ellen Sauerbrey
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Richard D. Bennett
Popular vote 846,972 688,357
Percentage 55.1% 44.8%

County results
Glendening:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Sauerbrey:      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

Parris Glendening
Democratic

Elected Governor

Parris Glendening
Democratic

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Withdrew

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Results

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Democratic primary results[4]
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

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Candidates

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Republican primary results[4]
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

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Results

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Maryland gubernatorial election, 1998[5]
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

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  1. ^ "1998 Gubernatorial Election". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "Sauerbrey aides say discrepancies prove vote fraud". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  3. ^ "Washingtonpost.com: Schoenke Abandons Md. Governor's Race". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "1998 Gubernatorial Election".
  5. ^ "1998 Gubernatorial Election".