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 County results Vilsack: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Lightfoot: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1998 Iowa gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998. IncumbentRepublicanGovernorTerry Branstad did not seek re-election to a fifth consecutive term; he later successfully ran again in2010 and2014.
To replace him,State SenatorTom Vilsack narrowly won the nomination of theDemocratic Party while formerUnited States CongressmanJim Ross Lightfoot, who was previously the Republican nominee for theUnited States Senate in1996, won his party's nomination. Lightfoot was the odds-on favorite win and polling consistently showed him in the lead,[1] but Vilsack won the general election in a stunning upset, becoming the first Democrat to serve as governor of Iowa since 1969 and the 5th Democrat to hold the office in the 20th century. Lightfoot neverconceded defeat.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Vilsack | 59,130 | 51.20 | |
| Democratic | Mark McCormick | 55,950 | 48.45 | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 410 | 0.36 | |
| Total votes | 115,490 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Ross Lightfoot | 113,499 | 69.89 | |
| Republican | David A. Oman | 35,402 | 21.80 | |
| Republican | Paul Pate | 13,299 | 8.19 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 193 | 0.12 | |
| Total votes | 162,393 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Jim Hennager | 131 | 35.60 | |
| Reform | Edward Moses | 99 | 26.90 | |
| Reform | Jeffrey L. Hughes, Sr. | 99 | 26.90 | |
| Reform | Write-ins | 39 | 10.60 | |
| Total votes | 368 | 100.00 | ||
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Jimm Lightfoot (R) | Tom Vilsack (D) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selzer & Co.[4][A] | October 28–30, 1998 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 47% | 43% | 10% |
| Mason-Dixon[4] | October 25–27, 1998 | 803 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 47% | 42% | 11% |
| Mason-Dixon[4] | October 11–13, 1998 | 809 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 53% | 35% | 12% |
| Mason-Dixon[4] | September 12–14, 1998 | 804 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 54% | 32% | 14% |
| Mason-Dixon[4] | July 18–21, 1998 | 834 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 54% | 31% | 15% |
| Selzer & Co.[4][A] | June 20–24, 1998 | 581 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 53% | 32% | 15% |
| Mason-Dixon[4] | May 25–27, 1998 | 837 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 55% | 21% | 24% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Vilsack | 500,231 | 52.30% | +10.74% | |
| Republican | Jim Ross Lightfoot | 444,787 | 46.51% | −10.29% | |
| Reform | Jim Hennager | 5,606 | 0.59% | ||
| Natural Law | Jim Schaefer | 3,144 | 0.33% | −0.05% | |
| Independent | Mark Kennis | 2,006 | 0.21% | ||
| Write-in | 641 | 0.07% | |||
| Majority | 55,444 | 5.80% | −9.44% | ||
| Turnout | 956,415 | ||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | Swing | ||||
Official campaign websites (archived)
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