1998 Maine gubernatorial election

The 1998 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998 to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Independent governor Angus King won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican nominee James B. Longley Jr., Democratic nominee Thomas J. Connolly, Green Independent nominee Pat LaMarche and Taxpayers' Party nominee William P. Clarke Jr.

1998 Maine gubernatorial election

← 1994 November 3, 1998 2002 →

Nominee Angus King James B. Longley Jr. Party Independent Republican Popular vote 246,772 79,716 Percentage 58.61% 18.93%   Nominee Tom Connolly Pat LaMarche Party Democratic Green Popular vote 50,506 28,722 Percentage 12.00% 6.82%

County results Municipality results King:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Longley:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      >90% Connolly:      50–60% Clarke:      30–40% Tie:      40–50%      50%

Governor before election Angus King Independent Elected Governor Angus King Independent

This election was the first since 1982 in which the winning candidate received greater than 50% of the vote; this was not achieved again until 2018. As of the 2022 election, this is the most recent time Maine elected an independent governor.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Thomas J. Connolly, attorney and activist
• Joseph Ricci, founder of the Élan School and owner of Scarborough Downs

Results

Democratic primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas J. Connolly	36,954	81.72
	Democratic	Joseph Ricci	8,264	18.28
Total votes			45,218	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Henry L. Joy, State Representative
• James B. Longley Jr., former U.S. Representative and son of former governor James B. Longley, Sr.
• Leo G. Martin

Results

Republican primary results^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James B. Longley, Jr.	38,192	66.04
	Republican	Henry L. Joy	11,411	19.73
	Republican	Leo G. Martin	8,229	14.23
Total votes			57,832	100.00

General election

Candidates

• Angus King (independent), incumbent governor of Maine
• Thomas J. Connolly (Democratic), attorney
• James B. Longley Jr. (Republican), former U.S. Representative and son of former governor James B. Longley, Sr.
• Pat LaMarche (Green), public figure and activist
• William P. Clarke Jr. (Constitution)

Endorsements

Tom Connolly

Individuals

• Joseph E. Brennan, former Governor of Maine (1979–1987), former U.S. Representative for Maine's 1st congressional district (1987–1991)^[3]
• George J. Mitchell, former U.S. Senator from Maine (1980–1995), former Senate Majority Leader (1989–1995)^[4]

Organizations

• Maine AFL-CIO^[5]

Publications

• Casco Bay Weekly^[3]

Angus King

Individuals

• Ken Curtis, former Governor of Maine (1967–1975) (Democrat)^[3]

Organizations

• Maine Education Association^[3]
• Sportsman's Alliance of Maine^[3]

Jim Longley

Individuals

• Jock McKernan, former Governor of Maine (1987–1995), former U.S. Representative for Maine's 1st congressional district (1983–1987)^[3]
• Olympia Snowe, U.S. Senator from Maine (1995–2013), former U.S. Representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district (1979–1995)^[3]

Pat LaMarche

Individuals

• Jonathan Carter, scientist, Green nominee for Governor of Maine in 1994^[3]

Organizations

• Maine National Organization for Women^[3]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	Angus King (I)	James Longley Jr. (R)	Thomas Connolly (D)	Undecided
Strategic Marketing Services[6]	October 6–11, 1998	400 (LV)	± 4.9%	60%	13%	6%	21%

Results

Connolly was inspired to run following King's handling of the January 1998 North American ice storm, which hit Maine particularly hard,^[7] while Longley criticized Maine's tax burden and echoed the Republican line that King was a "Democrat in disguise."^[8]

King won in a landslide, carrying all sixteen counties and almost every municipality in Maine. Longley did manage to carry 22 municipalities in rural Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Washington counties, and he also tied King in two other municipalities. Connolly would win only the Passamaquoddy Indian Township Reservation, though he did tie King 4–4 in Beddington, while Constitution Party candidate William P. Clarke Jr. would carry the town of Talmadge over King, eight votes to seven. Despite getting nearly twice the votes of Clarke, LaMarche would fail to carry any municipality, though she did manage to tie King in Allagash and come in second to King in Jackson.^[9]

Maine gubernatorial election, 1998^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Angus King (incumbent)	246,772	58.61%	+23.25%
	Republican	James B. Longley Jr.	79,716	18.93%	−4.14%
	Democratic	Thomas J. Connolly	50,506	12.00%	−21.83%
	Green	Pat LaMarche	28,722	6.82%	+0.43%
	Constitution	William P. Clarke Jr.	15,293	3.63%
Majority			167,056	39.68%	+38.14%
Turnout			421,009
	Independent hold		Swing

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Independent

• Kennebec (largest city: Augusta)
• Somerset (largest town: Skowhegan)
• York (largest town: Biddeford)

Counties that flipped from Republican to Independent

• Aroostook (largest city: Presque Isle)
• Penobscot (largest city: Bangor)
• Piscataquis (largest municipality: Dover-Foxcroft)
• Washington (largest city: Calais)

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear