The1998 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Incumbent GovernorTommy Thompson won re-election for his fourth term with 59.66% of the vote. As of 2022, this is most recent gubernatorial election in whichMilwaukee ,Rock ,Portage , andIowa counties voted for theRepublican 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.
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.
Lieutenant Governor [ edit ] Republican lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[ 2] Party Candidate Votes % Republican Scott McCallum (incumbent)217,059 100.00% Total votes 217,059 100.00%
Lieutenant Governor [ edit ] Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[ 2] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Barbara Lawton 178,022 100.00% Total votes 178,022 100.00%
Libertarian gubernatorial primary results[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Libertarian Jim Mueller 854 100.00% Total votes 854 100.00%
Lieutenant Governor [ edit ] Libertarian lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[ 2] Party Candidate Votes % Libertarian James Dean 830 100.00% Total votes 830 100.00%
[ edit ] US Taxpayers' gubernatorial primary results[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % U.S. Taxpayers' Edward J. Frami 1,252 100.00% Total votes 1,252 100.00%
Lieutenant Governor [ edit ] US Taxpayers' lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[ 2] Party Candidate Votes % U.S. Taxpayers' Thomas R. Rivers 1,232 100.00% Total votes 1,232 100.00%
Green gubernatorial primary results[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Green Jeffrey Lane Smith (write-in) 15 100.00% Total votes 15 100.00%
Independent nominations [ edit ] Mike Mangan A-Ja-mu Muhammad Independent gubernatorial primary results[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Independent Mike Mangan 374 69.13% Independent A-Ja-mu Muhammad 167 30.87% Total votes 541 100.00%
Lieutenant Governor [ edit ] Independent lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[ 2] Party Candidate Votes % Independent Vida Harley Bridges 369 100.00% Total votes 369 100.00%
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 Poll source Date(s) Sample[ a] Margin Tommy Ed Undecided Market Shares Corporation[ 3] [ A] October 21–24, 1998 600 (LV) ± 4.0% 67% 26% 7% St. Norbert College Survey Center[ 3] [ B] October 8–20, 1998 415 (LV) ± 4.8% 63% 28% 9% Journal Sentinel Research[ 3] October 2–9, 1998 314 (LV) ± 5.5% 60% 30% 10% WISC-TV /Wisconsin State Journal [ 3] August 7–26, 1998 271 (LV) ± 5.9% 60% 18% 22% Louis Harris & Associates[ 3] July 7–18, 1998 1,000 (A) ± 3.0% 58% 27% 15% WISC-TV /Wisconsin State Journal [ 3] May, 1998 403 (A) ± 5.0% 55% 19% 26% St. Norbert College Survey Center[ 3] [ C] February 17 – March 24, 1998 400 (LV) ± 5.0% 60% 26% 14% Journal Sentinel Research[ 3] February, 1998 497 (LV) ± 4.5% 60% 23% 17% St. Norbert College Survey Center[ 3] [ C] Fall, 1997 417 (LV) ± 5.0% 64% 26% 10%
1998 Wisconsin gubernatorial election[ 4] [ 5] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Republican Tommy G. Thompson (incumbent)1,047,716 59.66% −7.56% Democratic Ed Garvey 679,553 38.70% +7.82% Libertarian Jim Mueller 11,071 0.63% −0.11% U.S. Taxpayers' Edward J. Frami 10,269 0.58% −0.01% Independent Mike Mangan 4,985 0.28% −0.24% Independent A-Ja-mu Muhammad 1,604 0.09% Green Jeffrey L. Smith (write-in) 14 0.00% Scattering 802 0.05% Majority 368,163 20.97% Total votes 1,756,014 100.00% Republican hold Swing -15.39%
County[ 4] [ 5] Tommy G. Thompson Ed Garvey All Others 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 [ edit ] ^ Key: Partisan clients ^a b c d e f Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1999). "County Vote for Governor September 8, 1998, Primary".The State of Wisconsin 1999-2000 Blue Book {{cite book }}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link )^a b c d e Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1999). "County Vote for Lieutenant Governor September 8, 1998, Primary".The State of Wisconsin 1999-2000 Blue Book {{cite book }}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link )^a b c d e f g h i "CNN AllPolitics Election '98 - Wisconsin 1998 Polls" .CNN .Archived from the original on June 29, 2025. RetrievedJune 29, 2025 .^a b "Wisconsin State Election Board Canvass - County Totals" (PDF) . Archived from the original on November 25, 2002. RetrievedSeptember 16, 2024 .{{cite web }}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link )^a b Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1999). "County Vote for Governor and Lieutenant Governor November 3, 1998".The State of Wisconsin 1999-2000 Blue Book {{cite book }}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link )
County results
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