The 1998 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Acting Governor

Paul Cellucci Argeo Paul Cellucci (; April 24, 1948 – June 8, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 69th governor of Massachusetts from 1997 to 2001 and as the United States Ambassador to ...

was elected to his first term as

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

Republican primary

Governor

Candidates

, acting

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Joe Malone Maurice Joseph Malone (February 28, 1890 – May 15, 1969) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He played in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Bulldogs, Montreal Canadiens, and Hamilt ...

, Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General

Campaign

The race between Cellucci and Malone was acrimonious, with each candidate accusing the other of committing ethical violations.

Results

On September 16, Cellucci defeated Malone to win his party's nomination.

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

* Janet E. Jeghelian, radio host (running with Malone) *

Jane Swift Jane Maria Swift (born February 24, 1965) is an American politician and nonprofit executive who served as the 69th lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2003 and, concurrently, as acting governor from April 2001 to January 2003. She w ...

, Secretary of Consumer Affairs (running with Cellucci)

=Declined

= *

Charlie Baker Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician serving as the sixth president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 72nd governor of Massa ...

, Secretary of Administration and Finance * Ralph C. Martin II, Suffolk County District Attorney

Results

Democratic primary

Governor

Candidates

* Brian J. Donnelly, former U.S. Representative and

United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago The United States Embassy is located in Trinidad and Tobago's capital, Port of Spain, and was established there on August 31, 1962. List of ambassadors See also *Trinidad and Tobago – United States relations *Foreign relations of Trinidad ...

Scott Harshbarger Luther Scott Harshbarger (born December 1, 1941) is an American attorney and Democratic politician. He served as the 56th Massachusetts Attorney General from 1991 to 1999. In 1998, he was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Massachusetts but ...

Massachusetts Attorney General The Massachusetts attorney general is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder ...

* Patricia McGovern, State Senator from

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

=Withdrew

= *

Joseph Kennedy II Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (born September 24, 1952) is an American businessman, Democratic politician, and a member of the Kennedy family. He is a son of former United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, and he is a nephew of fo ...

, U.S. Representative for

Massachusetts's 8th congressional district Massachusetts's 8th congressional district is located in eastern Massachusetts, including part of Boston. It is represented by Democrat Stephen Lynch. For one congressional term (1791–1793), it served as the home district of the District of Ma ...

Debate

Results

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

Dorothy Kelly Gay Dorothy "Dot" A. Kelly Gay is an Irish-born American politician who served as mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts, and on the Massachusetts Governor's Council. Early life Gay was born on April 26, 1943, in Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland. He ...

, Governor's Councilor from

Somerville Somerville may refer to: Places Australia *Somerville, Victoria, a town **Somerville railway station * Somerville, Western Australia, a suburb of Kalgoorlie, Australia New Zealand * Somerville, New Zealand, a suburb of Manukau City, New Zea ...

Warren Tolman Warren Eugene Tolman (born October 23, 1959) is an American politician who has served as a member of both houses of the Massachusetts General Court. He was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1998, and was a candi ...

, State Senator from Watertown

Results

General election

Campaign

After Harshbarger's primary victory, many moderate Democrats who had voted for McGovern or Donnelly, chose to support the socially liberal, fiscally moderate Cellucci instead of the more liberal Harshbarger.

Debate

Polling

In a January opinion poll, Cellucci lead Harshbarger 50%-30%. By August, Harshbarger had taken a 37%-35% lead over Cellucci.

Results

On November 3, Cellucci defeated Harshbarger by 65,317 votes.

Results by county

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massachusetts Gubernatorial Election, 1998

Gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

1998 United States gubernatorial elections