The 1998 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998.

Term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...

s prevented incumbent Governor Ben Nelson, a Democrat, from seeking a third term in office. Republican nominee Mike Johanns, Mayor of Lincoln, defeated Democratic nominee, attorney Bill Hoppner. , this was the last gubernatorial election in Nebraska in which the margin of victory was within single digits. Johanns later served Nebraska in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

with Nelson from 2009 to 2013.

Democratic primary

Governor

Candidates

*Bill Hoppner, attorney,

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

to former Governor James Exon and Senator

Bob Kerrey Joseph Robert Kerrey (born August 27, 1943) is an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 1989 to 2001. Before entering politics, he served in the Vietn ...

and gubernatorial candidate in 1990 * James D. McFarland, state senator *Robb Nimic, perennial candidate *Luis R. Calvillo

Results

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

Pam Bataillon ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. She was the vice president of the Visiting Nurse Association from

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. She is the wife of

Joseph Bataillon Joseph Francis Bataillon (born October 3, 1949) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. Education and career Bataillon was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He received a Bachelor of ...

, a federal judge who was prevented from participating in her campaign due to judicial ethics requirements.

Results

Republican primary

Governor

Candidates

* Mike Johanns, Mayor of Lincoln *John Breslow, Nebraska State Auditor * Jon Christensen, U.S. Congressman *Barry Richards, perennial candidate *Lavern Bartels

Results

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

*Matt Butler, businessman and CEO of Butler Holdings Inc., which owned Happy Cab and Hunt Transportation, from

* John DeCamp, attorney, lobbyist, former member of the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislative branch, legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators ...

in District 40 from 1971 to 1987 from Clatonia, Nebraska, and unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 1994 *Kevin Fry, president of Fry Brothers Fertilizer and Chemical Inc. from Ewing, Nebraska *

David Maurstad David Ingolf Maurstad (born August 26, 1953) is an American politician and government official who was the 36th lieutenant governor of Nebraska from 1999 to 2001. He was appointed Regional Director at Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ...

, president and owner of Maurstad Insurance Services Inc., former mayor of

Beatrice, Nebraska Beatrice () is a city in and the county seat of Gage County, Nebraska, Gage County, Nebraska, United States. Its population was 12,261 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Nebraska, 15th most populous cit ...

, and member of the

in District 30 since 1995 from

*Elliott L. Rustad, dermatologist from

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

, and a political newcomer.

Results

General election

Results

References

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 ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

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 ...

November 1998 in the United States Long stubs with short prose {{Nebraska-election-stub