The 1998 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Edgar did not run for a third term in office. Republican nominee George Ryan, the Illinois Secretary of State, narrowly won the election against Democratic Congressman Glenn Poshard.
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| Turnout | 49.72%  1.05 pp | |||||||||||||||||||
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  Ryan: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Poshard: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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With this election Corinne Wood became the first female lieutenant governor of the state.
Background
editThe primaries and general elections coincided with those for federal elections (Senate and House), as well as those for other state offices. The election was part of the 1998 Illinois elections.
For the primaries, turnout for the gubernatorial primaries was 24.58%, with 1,658,296 votes cast and turnout for the lieutenant gubernatorial primaries was 19.76% with 1,333,446 votes cast.[1][2] For the general election, turnout was 49.72%, with 3,358,705 votes cast.[1][2] Due to Poshard's more conservative social positions he carried the reliably Republican downstate, while Ryan's liberal social policies led him to carry the more Democratic Chicago area.
Democratic primaries
editGovernor
editCandidates
edit- Larry Burgess
- Jim Burns, former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (1993–1997), Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in 1990
- Roland Burris, former Attorney General of Illinois (1991-1995) and candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 1994
- Maurice Horton
- Glenn Poshard, U.S. Representative (1989-1999)
- John Schmidt, former United States Associate Attorney General (1994-1997)
Declined
edit- Neil Hartigan, former Illinois Attorney General (1983–1991), former Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (1973–1977), and Democratic nominee for Governor in 1990[3]
Results
edit
Poshard
- Poshard—30–40%
- Poshard—40–50%
- Poshard—50–60%
- Poshard—60–70%
- Poshard—70–80%
- Poshard—80–90%
- Poshard—90–100%
Burris
- Burris—40–50%
Schmidt
- Schmidt—30–40%
- Schmidt—40–50%
- Schmidt—50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Glenn Poshard | 357,342 | 37.60 | |
| Democratic | Roland Burris | 290,393 | 30.56 | |
| Democratic | John R. Schmidt | 236,309 | 24.87 | |
| Democratic | Jim Burns | 55,233 | 5.81 | |
| Democratic | Larry Burgess | 6,075 | 0.64 | |
| Democratic | Maurice Horton | 4,955 | 0.52 | |
| Total votes | 950,307 | 100.00 | ||
Lieutenant governor
editCandidates
edit
Kearns
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
Quinn
- 50–60%
- Mary Lou Kearns, Kane County Coroner[5]
- Pat Quinn, former Treasurer of Illinois
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mary Lou Kearns | 391,373 | 50.09 | |
| Democratic | Pat Quinn | 389,905 | 49.91 | |
| Total votes | 781,278 | 100 | ||
Republican primaries
editGovernor
editCandidates
edit- George Ryan, Secretary of State of Illinois
- Chad Koppie, perennial candidate and conservative activist
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George Ryan | 608,940 | 86.08 | |
| Republican | Chad Koppie | 98,466 | 13.92 | |
| Total votes | 707,406 | 100.00 | ||
Lieutenant governor
editCandidates
edit- Corinne Wood, member of the Illinois House of Representatives
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Corrine G. Wood | 551,580 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 551,580 | 100 | ||
Reform primary
editGovernor
editCandidates
edit- Lawrence Redmond
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Lawrence Redmond | 583 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 583 | 100.00 | ||
Lieutenant governor
editCandidates
edit- Phyllis Nirchi
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Philomena "Phyllis" Nirchi | 588 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 588 | 100 | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George Ryan / Corinne Wood | 1,714,094 | 51.03% | −12.85% | |
| Democratic | Glenn Poshard / Mary Lou Kearns | 1,863,191 | 47.46% | 13.02% | |
| Reform | Lawrence Redmond / Phyllis Nirchi | 50,372 | 1.50% | ||
| Write-ins | 48 | 0.00% | |||
| Majority | 119,903 | 3.57% | −25.87% | ||
| Turnout | 3,358,705 | 49.72% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Voter Turnout". www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Election Results". www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ Tribune, Chicago Tribune | Chicago (November 26, 1996). "HARTIGAN'S DECLARATION NOT TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR OPENS '98 DOOR TO 2". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Ballots Cast". Elections.illinois.gov. March 17, 1998. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- ^ "KANE CORONER TO JOIN JESSE WHITE'S STAFF". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. January 13, 1999. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "Ballots Cast". Elections.illinois.gov. November 3, 1998. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2015.