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 County results Siegelman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% James: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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TheAlabama gubernatorial election of 1998 was held on November 3, 1998, to select thegovernor of Alabama. The election saw incumbent GovernorFob James (R) face off against Lieutenant GovernorDon Siegelman (D), resulting in Don Siegelman winning a decisive victory over Fob James. This was the second of three consecutive Alabama gubernatorial elections in which the incumbent was defeated. As of 2026, this was the last time that a Democrat was elected governor of Alabama.
The Republican primary took place on June 2 and saw no candidate secure over 50% of the vote, leading to a runoff between Fob James and Winton Blount on June 30. The period leading up to the runoff election was marked by numerous insults and accusations by both candidates against each other.[1] Incumbent Governor Fob James won the runoff 55% to 44%.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 163,711 | 47.96 | |
| Republican | Winton Blount | 139,941 | 40.99 | |
| Republican | Guy Hunt | 27,824 | 8.15 | |
| Republican | Mac McAllister | 5,641 | 1.65 | |
| Republican | Phil Williams | 4,258 | 1.25 | |
| Total votes | 341,375 | 100.00 | ||
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | ||||||
| Winton Blount | Fob James | |||||
| 1 | Jun. 25, 1998 | WVTM-TV | Fran Curry | C-SPAN | P | P |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 253,965 | 55.92 | |
| Republican | Winton Blount | 200,200 | 44.08 | |
| Total votes | 454,165 | 100.00 | ||
The Democratic primary took place on June 2 and saw Lieutenant Governor Don Siegelman easily chosen as the Democratic nominee over Birmingham attorney Lenora Pate and Wayne Sowell.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Don Siegelman | 254,507 | 78.26 | |
| Democratic | Lenora Pate | 53,618 | 16.49 | |
| Democratic | Wayne Sowell | 10,108 | 3.11 | |
| Democratic | Lee Lamb | 6,597 | 2.03 | |
| Total votes | 325,190 | 100.00 | ||
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Fob James (R) | Don Siegelman (D) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Opinion Research[6] | October 29–31, 1998 | 490 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 45% | 53% | 12% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | October 29–31, 1998 | 490 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 45% | 53% | 12% |
| University of Southern Alabama[6][A] | October 26–29, 1998 | 820 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 36% | 52% | 12% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | October 24–26, 1998 | 808 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 43% | 49% | 8% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | October 10–12, 1998 | 807 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 43% | 48% | 9% |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham[6] | October 7–11, 1998 | 401 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 39% | 46% | 15% |
| USA Polling Group[6][B] | October 5–7, 1998 | 400 (A) | ± 5.0% | 40% | 52% | 8% |
| Southern Opinion Research[6] | October 1–2, 1998 | 501 (RV) | ± 5.0% | 39% | 52% | 9% |
| Southern Opinion Research[6] | September 3–4, 1998 | 500 (RV) | ± 4.4% | 44% | 48% | 8% |
| USA Polling Group[6][B] | September 1–3, 1998 | 405 (A) | ± 5.0% | 40% | 48% | 12% |
| Southern Opinion Research[6] | June 23–26, 1998 | 1,019 (RV) | ± 3.0% | 41% | 51% | 8% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | June 22–24, 1998 | 804 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 41% | 46% | 13% |
| USA Polling Group[6][B] | June 8–11, 1998 | 800 (A) | ± 3.5% | 35% | 36% | 29% |
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | ||||||
| Fob James | Don Siegelman | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 6, 1998 | Junior League of Birmingham | Malena Cunningham | C-SPAN | P | P |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Don Siegelman | 752,087 | 57.92 | +8.5 | |
| Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 546,504 | 42.08 | −8.2 | |
| Total votes | 1,298,591 | 100.00 | N/A | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | |||||
Official campaign websites (archived)
 Alabama gubernatorial elections | |
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See also:Political party strength in Alabama | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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