1998 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
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| Turnout | 51.19%  18.86 [1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Cellucci: 40–50% 50–60% Harshbarger: 40–50% 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1998 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Acting Governor Paul Cellucci was elected to his first term as Governor of Massachusetts.
Republican primary
Governor
Candidates
- Paul Cellucci, acting Governor
- Joe Malone, Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General
Campaign
The race between Cellucci and Malone was acrimonious, with each candidate accusing the other of committing ethical violations.[2]
Results
On September 16, Cellucci defeated Malone to win his party's nomination.[3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Cellucci (acting) | 136,258 | 58.57% | |
| Republican | Joe Malone | 95,963 | 41.25% | |
| Write-in | All others | 442 | 0.19% | |
| Total votes | 232,663 | 100.00% | ||
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
- Janet E. Jeghelian, radio host (running with Malone)
- Jane Swift, Secretary of Consumer Affairs (running with Cellucci)
Declined
- Charlie Baker, Secretary of Administration and Finance
- Ralph C. Martin II, Suffolk County District Attorney
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jane Swift | 116,476 | 54.38% | |
| Republican | Janet E. Jeghelian | 97,411 | 45.48% | |
| Write-in | All others | 323 | 0.15% | |
| Total votes | 214,210 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Governor
Candidates
- Brian J. Donnelly, former U.S. Representative and United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago
- Scott Harshbarger, Massachusetts Attorney General
- Patricia McGovern, State Senator from Lawrence
Withdrew
- Joseph Kennedy II, U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 8th congressional district[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Scott Harshbarger | 296,212 | 51.35% | |
| Democratic | Patricia McGovern | 180,429 | 31.28% | |
| Democratic | Brian J. Donnelly | 98,774 | 17.12% | |
| Write-in | All others | 1,484 | 0.26% | |
| Total votes | 576,899 | 100.00% | ||
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
- Dorothy Kelly Gay, Governor's Councilor from Somerville
- Warren Tolman, State Senator from Watertown
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Warren Tolman | 270,791 | 53.75% | |
| Democratic | Dorothy Kelly Gay | 232,250 | 46.10% | |
| Write-in | All others | 768 | 0.15% | |
| Total votes | 503,809 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Campaign
After Harshbarger's primary victory, many moderate Democrats who had voted for McGovern or Donnelly, chose to support the socially liberal, fiscally moderate Cellucci instead of the more liberal Harshbarger.[8][9]
Polling
In a January opinion poll, Cellucci lead Harshbarger 50%-30%. By August, Harshbarger had taken a 37%-35% lead over Cellucci.[10]
Results
On November 3, Cellucci defeated Harshbarger by 65,317 votes.[11][12]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Cellucci (acting) | 967,160 | 49.97% | −20.09 | |
| Democratic | Scott Harshbarger | 901,843 | 46.60% | +29.08 | |
| Libertarian | Dean Cook | 32,184 | 1.66% | ||
| Write-in | 2,149 | 0.11% | |||
| Blank | 31,941 | 1.65% | |||
| Turnout | 1,935,277 | 51.19% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Results by county
| 1998 United States gubernatorial election in Massachusetts (by county) [12] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Cellucci - R % | Cellucci - R # | Harshbarger - D % | Harshbarger - D # | Others % | Others # | Total # |
| Barnstable | 53.8% | 50,690 | 42.7% | 40,259 | 3.6% | 3,357 | 94,306 |
| Berkshire | 49.8% | 20,679 | 47.1% | 19,593 | 3.1% | 1,287 | 41,559 |
| Bristol | 48.37% | 69,209 | 48.36% | 69,190 | 3.3% | 4,676 | 143,075 |
| Dukes | 40.9% | 2,639 | 55.1% | 3,550 | 4.0% | 256 | 6,445 |
| Essex | 52.4% | 118,540 | 44.0% | 99,452 | 3.6% | 8,113 | 226,105 |
| Franklin | 41.9% | 9,882 | 54.6% | 12,866 | 3.5% | 819 | 23,567 |
| Hampden | 49.3% | 58,517 | 46.9% | 55,709 | 3.8% | 4,484 | 118,710 |
| Hampshire | 40.4% | 19,239 | 56.3% | 26,836 | 3.4% | 1,598 | 47,673 |
| Middlesex | 48.2% | 230,004 | 48.7% | 232,302 | 3.1% | 14,900 | 477,206 |
| Nantucket | 48.8% | 1,755 | 46.7% | 1,681 | 4.6% | 164 | 3,600 |
| Norfolk | 51.2% | 120,729 | 45.4% | 106,999 | 3.4% | 7,936 | 235,664 |
| Plymouth | 55.6% | 81,047 | 40.8% | 59,525 | 3.6% | 5,239 | 145,811 |
| Suffolk | 39.5% | 58,384 | 56.2% | 83,048 | 4.2% | 6,210 | 147,642 |
| Worcester | 56.2% | 125,846 | 40.6% | 90,833 | 3.2% | 7,235 | 223,914 |
See also
References
- ^ "Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1998".
- ^ Jill Zuckman and Frank Phillips (September 10, 1998). "Malone, Cellucci trade blows on ethics". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- ^ a b "Our Campaigns - MA Governor - R Primary Race - Sep 15, 1998". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MA Lt. Governor - R Primary Race - Sep 15, 1998". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ Harden, Blaine (August 29, 1997). "Joseph Kennedy Ends Gubernatorial Bid". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MA Governor - D Primary Race - Sep 15, 1998". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MA Lt. Governor - D Primary Race - Sep 15, 1998". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ Adrian Walker (September 19, 1998). "Democratic Dissidents Back Cellucci". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- ^ Scot Lehigh (October 6, 1998). "Cellucci Seen Seizing Initiative from Harshbarger". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- ^ Brian C. Mooney (August 15, 1998). "Surplus Stumble Illustrates Why Cellucci's Falling". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MA Governor Race - Nov 03, 1998". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ a b https://electionstats.state.ma.us/elections/search/year_from:1972/year_to:2020/office_id:1/stage:General