Election Name: | 1998 United States Senate election in Colorado |
Country: | Colorado |
Type: | presidential |
Ongoing: | no |
Previous Election: | 1992 United States Senate election in Colorado |
Previous Year: | 1992 |
Next Election: | 2004 United States Senate election in Colorado |
Next Year: | 2004 |
Election Date: | November 3, 1998 |
Image1: | File:BenNCampbell.jpg |
Nominee1: | Ben Nighthorse Campbell |
Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
Popular Vote1: | 829,370 |
Percentage1: | 62.49% |
Nominee2: | Dottie Lamm |
Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
Popular Vote2: | 464,754 |
Percentage2: | 35.02% |
Map Size: | 250px |
U.S. Senator | |
Before Election: | Ben Nighthorse Campbell |
Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
After Election: | Ben Nighthorse Campbell |
After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 1998 United States Senate election in Colorado was held November 3, 1998, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell won re-election to a second term by a landslide. This was Campbell's first election as a Republican as he left the Democratic Party in 1995.
As of 2024, this is the last time that a Republican won the Class 3 Senate seat from Colorado, and the last time that a Native American was elected to the United States Senate until 2022.
Campbell, who was elected in 1992 as a Democrat, switched parties after the 1994 Republican Revolution. He faced a primary challenger, but won with over 70% of the vote. In the general election, Democratic nominee Dottie Lamm criticized Campbell of flip flopping from being a moderate liberal to moderate conservative.[1] [2] In fact, throughout the entire campaign, Lamm mostly sent out negative attack advertisements about Campbell.[3]