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 County results Barnes: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Millner: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1998 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. IncumbentDemocratic governorZell Miller was unable to seek re-election due to term limits, therefore creating an open seat. To replace him,State RepresentativeRoy Barnes won the Democratic Party's nomination after a close and highly contested primary election, while businessmanGuy Millner, who had run for governor and theUnited States Senate in the previous four years, won the nomination of theRepublican Party.
In the general election, Barnes was able to defeat Millner by a margin of victory larger than Governor Miller's victory over Millner four years prior, which was in part due to the unpopularity and controversy ofMitch Skandalakis, the Republican nominee forLieutenant Governor of Georgia. As of 2026, this is the most recent time a Democrat was elected Governor of Georgia.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roy Barnes | 239,517 | 49.20 | |
| Democratic | Lewis A. Massey | 135,920 | 27.92 | |
| Democratic | David Poythress | 65,860 | 13.53 | |
| Democratic | Steve Langford | 31,543 | 6.48 | |
| Democratic | Morris James | 9,148 | 1.88 | |
| Democratic | Carlton Myers | 4,853 | 1.00 | |
| Total votes | 486,841 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roy Barnes | 221,651 | 82.90 | |
| Democratic | Lewis A. Massey | 45,735 | 17.10 | |
| Total votes | 267,386 | 100.00 | ||
Bowers's campaign was derailed when he admitted to a fifteen-year extramarital affair with Anne Davis, his secretary and a formerPlayboy Club waitress. Davis publicly stated that the romance had been active as recently as April 1997, six weeks prior to Bowers' June 5 announcement.[3]
Millner narrowly avoided a run-off by just 1,573 votes. However, Bowers conceded before a recount finalized the result, admitting that all indications pointed to a victory for Millner.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Guy Millner | 210,845 | 50.38 | |
| Republican | Mike Bowers | 167,074 | 39.92 | |
| Republican | Nancy Schaefer | 32,315 | 7.72 | |
| Republican | Bruce Hatfield | 8,308 | 1.98 | |
| Total votes | 418,542 | 100.00 | ||
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Roy Barnes (D) | Guy Millner (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason Dixon[6] | October 26–28, 1998 | 809 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 43% | 46% | 11% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | October 5–6, 1998 | 807 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 42% | 45% | 13% |
| Marketing Workshop[6][A] | September 26–29, 1998 | 690 (RV) | ± 3.7% | 41% | 47% | 12% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | September 5–8, 1998 | 829 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 41% | 42% | 17% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | July 13–15, 1998 | 828 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 39% | 45% | 16% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | June 20–23, 1998 | 807 (V) | ± 3.5% | 33% | 42% | 25% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roy Barnes | 941,076 | 52.49% | +1.44% | |
| Republican | Guy Millner | 790,201 | 44.08% | −4.87% | |
| Libertarian | Jack Cashin | 61,531 | 3.43% | ||
| Majority | 150,875 | 8.42% | +6.31% | ||
| Turnout | 1,792,808 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Official campaign websites (archived)