1998 Kansas gubernatorial election

The 1998 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Republican Governor Bill Graves won re-election in a landslide over his opponent, State Representative Tom Sawyer. As of 2022^[update], this was the last time Douglas County and Wyandotte County voted for the Republican candidate.^{[original research?]}

1998 Kansas gubernatorial election

← 1994 November 3, 1998 2002 →

Nominee Bill Graves Tom Sawyer Party Republican Democratic Running mate Gary Sherrer Elizabeth Baker Popular vote 544,882 168,243 Percentage 73.4% 22.7%

County results Graves:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election Bill Graves Republican Elected Governor Bill Graves Republican

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Tom Sawyer, Kansas State Representative
• Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church

Results

Democratic primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Sawyer	88,248	85.28
	Democratic	Fred Phelps	15,233	14.72
Total votes			103,481	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Bill Graves, incumbent Governor of Kansas
• David Miller, former Chairman of the Kansas Republican Party

Results

Republican primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Graves (inc.)	225,782	72.80
	Republican	David Miller	84,368	27.20
Total votes			310,150	100.00

General election

Results

Kansas gubernatorial election, 1998^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bill Graves (inc.)	544,882	73.37%	+9.27%
	Democratic	Tom Sawyer	168,243	22.65%	-13.25%
	Constitution	Kirt Poovey	21,710	2.92%
	Reform	Darrel King	7,830	1.05%
Majority			376,639	50.71%	+22.53%
Turnout			742,665
	Republican hold		Swing

References

1. "Kansas Secretary of State - Official 1998 Kansas Primary Election Results". Kssos.org. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
2. "Kansas Secretary of State - Official 1998 Kansas General Election Results". Kssos.org. Retrieved April 3, 2019.