| Election name | 1998 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
|---|---|
| Country | Wisconsin |
| Ongoing | Yes |
| Previous election | 1994 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
| Previous year | 1994 |
| Next election | 2002 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
| Next year | 2002 |
| Election date | November 3, 1998 |
| Nominee 1 | Tommy Thompson |
| Running mate 1 | Scott McCallum |
| Party 1 | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular vote 1 | 1,047,716 |
| Percentage 1 | 59.66% |
| Nominee 2 | Ed Garvey |
| Running mate 2 | Barbara Lawton |
| Party 2 | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular vote 2 | 679,553 |
| Percentage 2 | 38.70% |
| Before election | Tommy Thompson |
| Before party | Republican Party (United States) |
| After election | Tommy Thompson |
| After party | Republican Party (United States) |
The 1998 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Governor Tommy Thompson won re-election for his fourth term with 59.66% of the vote. As of 2022, this is most recent gubernatorial election in which Milwaukee, Rock, Portage, and Iowa counties voted for the Republican candidate; the most recent where the winner garnered a double-digit margin of victory; and, as of 2025, the last time a governor in the United States was reelected to a fourth consecutive four-year term.
Primary election
The primary election was held on September 8, 1998. Nominees for Governor and Lieutenant Governor were selected in separate primaries before running on a joint ticket in the general election.
Republican party
Governor
Candidates
- Jeffrey A. Hyslop
- Tommy G. Thompson, incumbent governor
Lieutenant Governor
Candidates
- Scott McCallum, incumbent lieutenant governor
Democratic party
Governor
Candidates
- Ed Garvey, former executive director of the NFLPA and candidate for US Senate in 1986
- Gary R. George, member of Wisconsin Senate
Lieutenant Governor
Candidates
- Barbara Lawton, businesswoman
Libertarian party
Governor
Candidates
- Jim Mueller
Lieutenant Governor
Candidates
- James Dean
US Taxpayers' party
Governor
Candidates
- Edward J. Frami
Lieutenant Governor
Candidates
- Thomas R. Rivers
Green party
Governor
Candidates
- Jeffrey Lane Smith
Independent nominations
Governor
Candidates
- Mike Mangan
- A-Ja-mu Muhammad
Lieutenant Governor
Candidates
- Vida Harley Bridges
General election
Candidates
- Ed Garvey & Barbara Lawton, Democrat
- Tommy G. Thompson & Scott McCallum, Republican
- Jim Mueller & James Dean, Libertarian
- Edward J. Frami & Thomas R. Rivers, US Taxpayers'
- Jeffrey Lane Smith, Green
- Mike Mangan, Independent
- A-Ja-mu Muhammad & Vida Harley Bridges, Independent
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Tommy Thompson (R) | Ed Garvey (D) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Shares Corporation[1][A] | October 21–24, 1998 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 67% | 26% | 7% |
| St. Norbert College Survey Center[1][B] | October 8–20, 1998 | 415 (LV) | ± 4.8% | 63% | 28% | 9% |
| Journal Sentinel Research and Public Policy Forum[1] | October 2–9, 1998 | 314 (LV) | ± 5.5% | 60% | 30% | 10% |
| WISC-TV/Wisconsin State Journal[1] | August 7–26, 1998 | 271 (LV) | ± 5.9% | 60% | 18% | 22% |
| Louis Harris & Associates[1] | July 7–18, 1998 | 1,000 (A) | ± 3.0% | 58% | 27% | 15% |
| WISC-TV/Wisconsin State Journal[1] | May, 1998 | 403 (A) | ± 5.0% | 55% | 19% | 26% |
| St. Norbert College Survey Center[1][C] | February 17 – March 24, 1998 | 400 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 60% | 26% | 14% |
| Journal Sentinel Research and Public Policy Forum[1] | February, 1998 | 497 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 60% | 23% | 17% |
| St. Norbert College Survey Center[1][C] | Fall, 1997 | 417 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 64% | 26% | 10% |
Results by county
| County[2][3] | Tommy G. Thompson Republican | Ed Garvey Democratic | All Others Various | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | ||||||
| Adams | 3,907 | 60.55% | 2,450 | 37.97% | 95 | 1.47% | 1,457 | 22.58% | 6,452 |
| Ashland | 2,611 | 48.90% | 2,692 | 50.41% | 37 | 0.69% | -81 | -1.52% | 5,340 |
| Barron | 7,449 | 56.03% | 5,716 | 43.00% | 129 | 0.97% | 1,733 | 13.04% | 13,294 |
| Bayfield | 2,817 | 45.35% | 3,352 | 53.96% | 43 | 0.69% | -535 | -8.61% | 6,212 |
| Brown | 47,529 | 62.84% | 27,302 | 36.10% | 803 | 1.06% | 20,227 | 26.74% | 75,634 |
| Buffalo | 2,523 | 58.61% | 1,736 | 40.33% | 46 | 1.07% | 787 | 18.28% | 4,305 |
| Burnett | 3,076 | 50.19% | 3,011 | 49.13% | 42 | 0.69% | 65 | 1.06% | 6,129 |
| Calumet | 9,153 | 69.17% | 3,873 | 29.27% | 206 | 1.56% | 5,280 | 39.90% | 13,232 |
| Chippewa | 10,363 | 62.03% | 6,132 | 36.70% | 212 | 1.27% | 4,231 | 25.32% | 16,707 |
| Clark | 6,951 | 64.94% | 3,633 | 33.94% | 120 | 1.12% | 3,318 | 31.00% | 10,704 |
| Columbia | 10,456 | 60.41% | 6,503 | 37.57% | 349 | 2.02% | 3,953 | 22.84% | 17,308 |
| Crawford | 3,646 | 59.19% | 2,457 | 39.89% | 57 | 0.93% | 1,189 | 19.30% | 6,160 |
| Dane | 72,693 | 44.78% | 86,234 | 53.12% | 3,396 | 2.09% | -13,541 | -8.34% | 162,323 |
| Dodge | 16,245 | 70.16% | 6,417 | 27.72% | 491 | 2.12% | 9,828 | 42.45% | 23,153 |
| Door | 6,392 | 63.07% | 3,597 | 35.49% | 146 | 1.44% | 2,795 | 27.58% | 10,135 |
| Douglas | 5,905 | 46.82% | 6,550 | 51.93% | 158 | 1.25% | -645 | -5.11% | 12,613 |
| Dunn | 5,764 | 53.24% | 4,927 | 45.51% | 135 | 1.25% | 837 | 7.73% | 10,826 |
| Eau Claire | 17,168 | 56.43% | 12,715 | 41.79% | 541 | 1.78% | 4,453 | 14.64% | 30,424 |
| Florence | 1,104 | 68.15% | 506 | 31.23% | 10 | 0.62% | 598 | 36.91% | 1,620 |
| Fond du Lac | 19,682 | 70.75% | 7,685 | 27.63% | 452 | 1.62% | 11,997 | 43.13% | 27,819 |
| Forest | 1,988 | 57.94% | 1,427 | 41.59% | 16 | 0.47% | 561 | 16.35% | 3,431 |
| Grant | 8,371 | 63.54% | 4,673 | 35.47% | 131 | 0.99% | 3,698 | 28.07% | 13,175 |
| Green | 6,756 | 63.82% | 3,610 | 34.10% | 220 | 2.08% | 3,146 | 29.72% | 10,586 |
| Green Lake | 4,297 | 71.52% | 1,640 | 27.30% | 71 | 1.18% | 2,657 | 44.22% | 6,008 |
| Iowa | 4,270 | 58.05% | 2,990 | 40.65% | 96 | 1.31% | 1,280 | 17.40% | 7,356 |
| Iron | 1,594 | 61.31% | 987 | 37.96% | 19 | 0.73% | 607 | 23.35% | 2,600 |
| Jackson | 3,447 | 54.04% | 2,813 | 44.10% | 119 | 1.87% | 634 | 9.94% | 6,379 |
| Jefferson | 15,363 | 65.27% | 7,647 | 32.49% | 529 | 2.25% | 7,716 | 32.78% | 23,539 |
| Juneau | 4,402 | 67.02% | 2,063 | 31.41% | 103 | 1.57% | 2,339 | 35.61% | 6,568 |
| Kenosha | 28,128 | 61.34% | 17,011 | 37.09% | 720 | 1.57% | 11,117 | 24.24% | 45,859 |
| Kewaunee | 4,578 | 63.17% | 2,582 | 35.63% | 87 | 1.20% | 1,996 | 27.54% | 7,247 |
| La Crosse | 21,984 | 58.63% | 14,892 | 39.72% | 619 | 1.65% | 7,092 | 18.91% | 37,495 |
| Lafayette | 3,423 | 65.84% | 1,743 | 33.53% | 33 | 0.63% | 1,680 | 32.31% | 5,199 |
| Langlade | 4,107 | 62.80% | 2,376 | 36.33% | 57 | 0.87% | 1,731 | 26.47% | 6,540 |
| Lincoln | 5,300 | 57.79% | 3,567 | 38.89% | 304 | 3.31% | 1,733 | 18.90% | 9,171 |
| Manitowoc | 17,733 | 62.63% | 10,291 | 36.35% | 289 | 1.02% | 7,442 | 26.28% | 28,313 |
| Marathon | 25,966 | 64.91% | 13,511 | 33.77% | 529 | 1.32% | 12,455 | 31.13% | 40,006 |
| Marinette | 9,457 | 66.25% | 4,716 | 33.04% | 102 | 0.71% | 4,741 | 33.21% | 14,275 |
| Marquette | 3,112 | 64.70% | 1,624 | 33.76% | 74 | 1.54% | 1,488 | 30.94% | 4,810 |
| Menominee | 300 | 28.90% | 725 | 69.85% | 13 | 1.25% | -425 | -40.94% | 1,038 |
| Milwaukee | 145,010 | 49.77% | 140,666 | 48.28% | 5,699 | 1.96% | 4,344 | 1.49% | 291,375 |
| Monroe | 7,465 | 63.45% | 4,148 | 35.25% | 153 | 1.30% | 3,317 | 28.19% | 11,766 |
| Oconto | 7,655 | 64.62% | 4,097 | 34.59% | 94 | 0.79% | 3,558 | 30.04% | 11,846 |
| Oneida | 7,816 | 59.82% | 5,088 | 38.94% | 161 | 1.23% | 2,728 | 20.88% | 13,065 |
| Outagamie | 32,761 | 64.23% | 17,500 | 34.31% | 742 | 1.45% | 15,261 | 29.92% | 51,003 |
| Ozaukee | 23,716 | 75.34% | 7,283 | 23.14% | 480 | 1.52% | 16,433 | 52.20% | 31,479 |
| Pepin | 1,173 | 54.48% | 958 | 44.50% | 22 | 1.02% | 215 | 9.99% | 2,153 |
| Pierce | 5,852 | 57.13% | 4,285 | 41.83% | 106 | 1.03% | 1,567 | 15.30% | 10,243 |
| Polk | 6,820 | 53.21% | 5,896 | 46.00% | 101 | 0.79% | 924 | 7.21% | 12,817 |
| Portage | 12,038 | 55.42% | 9,309 | 42.86% | 373 | 1.72% | 2,729 | 12.56% | 21,720 |
| Price | 3,568 | 60.44% | 2,298 | 38.93% | 37 | 0.63% | 1,270 | 21.51% | 5,903 |
| Racine | 34,337 | 56.03% | 25,803 | 42.11% | 1,141 | 1.86% | 8,534 | 13.93% | 61,281 |
| Richland | 3,502 | 61.91% | 2,061 | 36.43% | 94 | 1.66% | 1,441 | 25.47% | 5,657 |
| Rock | 27,485 | 55.86% | 21,109 | 42.90% | 613 | 1.25% | 6,376 | 12.96% | 49,207 |
| Rusk | 3,108 | 55.85% | 2,375 | 42.68% | 82 | 1.47% | 733 | 13.17% | 5,565 |
| Sauk | 10,206 | 61.94% | 6,008 | 36.47% | 262 | 1.59% | 4,198 | 25.48% | 16,476 |
| Sawyer | 3,432 | 60.57% | 2,185 | 38.56% | 49 | 0.86% | 1,247 | 22.01% | 5,666 |
| Shawano | 9,106 | 67.12% | 4,353 | 32.09% | 108 | 0.80% | 4,753 | 35.03% | 13,567 |
| Sheboygan | 26,880 | 67.97% | 12,162 | 30.75% | 504 | 1.27% | 14,718 | 37.22% | 39,546 |
| St. Croix | 10,612 | 62.25% | 6,225 | 36.52% | 210 | 1.23% | 4,387 | 25.73% | 17,047 |
| Taylor | 4,482 | 66.98% | 2,147 | 32.08% | 63 | 0.94% | 2,335 | 34.89% | 6,692 |
| Trempealeau | 5,086 | 58.29% | 3,543 | 40.60% | 97 | 1.11% | 1,543 | 17.68% | 8,726 |
| Vernon | 5,326 | 56.60% | 3,918 | 41.64% | 166 | 1.76% | 1,408 | 14.96% | 9,410 |
| Vilas | 5,342 | 63.98% | 2,836 | 33.97% | 171 | 2.05% | 2,506 | 30.02% | 8,349 |
| Walworth | 17,316 | 67.64% | 7,839 | 30.62% | 447 | 1.75% | 9,477 | 37.02% | 25,602 |
| Washburn | 3,022 | 53.25% | 2,602 | 45.85% | 51 | 0.90% | 420 | 7.40% | 5,675 |
| Washington | 29,102 | 74.38% | 9,164 | 23.42% | 859 | 2.20% | 19,938 | 50.96% | 39,125 |
| Waukesha | 98,555 | 73.83% | 32,384 | 24.26% | 2,556 | 1.91% | 66,171 | 49.57% | 133,495 |
| Waupaca | 10,771 | 66.72% | 5,191 | 32.15% | 182 | 1.13% | 5,580 | 34.56% | 16,144 |
| Waushara | 5,289 | 68.52% | 2,299 | 29.78% | 131 | 1.70% | 2,990 | 38.74% | 7,719 |
| Winnebago | 33,496 | 65.81% | 16,436 | 32.29% | 966 | 1.90% | 17,060 | 33.52% | 50,898 |
| Wood | 17,377 | 64.81% | 9,009 | 33.60% | 426 | 1.59% | 8,368 | 31.21% | 26,812 |
| Total | 1,047,716 | 59.66% | 679,553 | 38.70% | 28,745 | 1.64% | 368,163 | 20.97% | 1,756,014 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
See also
Notes
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
- Partisan clients
- ^ Poll sponsored by WTMJ-TV
- ^ Poll sponsored by the Green Bay News-Chronicle & Wisconsin Public Radio
- ^ Poll sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio
References
- ^ "CNN AllPolitics Election '98 - Wisconsin 1998 Polls". CNN. Archived 29 June 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ "Wisconsin State Election Board Canvass - County Totals". Archived November 25, 2002 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1999). "County Vote for Governor and Lieutenant Governor November 3, 1998". The State of Wisconsin 1999-2000 Blue Book. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 912.