
The 1998 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998, to elect the
Governor of Idaho
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'' may ...
.
Phil Batt
Philip Eugene Batt (March 4, 1927 – March 4, 2023) was an American politician who served as the 29th Governor of Idaho from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, Batt had previously served as the 35th Lieutenant Governor of Idaho, ...
, the
Republican incumbent, chose not to run for a second term. The Republican nominee, United States Senator
Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951) is an American politician who served as the 49th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2006 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a ...
, handily defeated the
Democratic nominee, former Idaho Supreme Court justice
Robert C. Huntley, to keep the seat in GOP hands.
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951) is an American politician who served as the 49th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2006 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a ...
,
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
*David W. Sheperd, perennial candidate
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
* Jack Wayne Chappell
*
Robert C. Huntley, former
Idaho Supreme Court Justice, former
Idaho State Representative, former
Pocatello
Pocatello () is the county seat of and the largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, containing the city's airport. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metro ...
city councilman
* Donald McMurrian
* William Tarnasky
Results
General election
Debate
Polling
Results
Given the lack of a high-profile candidate on the Democratic side, throughout the campaign many considered Kempthorne's election a foregone conclusion. Indeed, Huntley's performance was well below that of the 1994 Democratic nominee
Larry EchoHawk. In addition, Peter Rickards, a podiatrist and anti-nuclear waste advocate from
Twin Falls, won over some progressive votes that may have otherwise gone to the Democratic candidate.
See also
*
Governor of Idaho
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'' may ...
*
List of governors of Idaho
*
Idaho gubernatorial elections
Idaho gubernatorial elections have been held since statehood in 1890 to directly elect the Governor of Idaho. After the initial election was held in October 1890, each subsequent election was held every two years in November until 1946. Electi ...
Notes
References
External links
Idaho General Election Results November 3, 1998
{{DEFAULTSORT:Idaho 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
November 1998 in the United States