| Election Name: | 1998 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | No |
| Previous Election: | 1997 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Previous Year: | 1997 |
| Next Election: | 1999 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Next Year: | 1999 |
| Seats For Election: | 38 governorships 36 states; 2 territories |
| Election Date: | November 3, 1998 |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| 2Blank: | Seats won |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Seats Before1: | 32 |
| Seats After1: | 31 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| 1Data1: | 24 |
| 2Data1: | 23 |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Seats Before2: | 17 |
| Seats After2: | 17 |
| 1Data2: | 11 |
| 2Data2: | 11 |
| Party4: | Reform Party of the United States of America |
| Seats Before4: | 0 |
| Seats After4: | 1 |
| Seat Change4: | 1 |
| 1Data4: | 0 |
| 2Data4: | 1 |
| Party5: | Independent (United States) |
| Seats Before5: | 1 |
| Seats After5: | 1 |
| 1Data5: | 1 |
| 2Data5: | 1 |
| Map Size: | 324px |
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 3, 1998, in 36 states and two territories. Going into the election cycle, 24 of the seats were held by Republicans, 11 by Democrats, and one by an Independent. The elections changed the national balance of power by the loss of one Republican and the gain of one Independent, although political party dominance was shifted in nine states. Democrats gained open seats in California and Iowa and defeated incumbents Fob James of Alabama and David Beasley of South Carolina, while Republicans won open seats in Colorado, Florida, Nebraska, and Nevada and the Reform Party won an open Republican governorship in Minnesota. By the end of the election, 23 seats were held by Republicans, 11 by Democrats, one by the Reform Party, and one by an Independent.
The elections coincided with the mid-term elections for the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. With the exception of two states (New Hampshire and Vermont), the governors elected in this election served four-year terms. New Hampshire and Vermont's governors would serve two-year terms.
As of, this election marked the most recent cycle in which Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, and South Carolina elected Democrats to their respective governorships, and by extension, any even-year gubernatorial election in the Deep South. This is also the last time that someone other than a Democrat or a Republican was elected governor in Maine and Minnesota. This would be the last time a third-party candidate (not an independent) would be elected governor of any state, as well as the last time an independent would be elected governor of a state until the 2010 election in Rhode Island. This was the last midterm election until 2022 in which the non-incumbent political party suffered net losses of governorships.
| State | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Fob James | Republican | 1978 1982 1994 | Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain. | nowrap |
| ||
| Alaska | Tony Knowles | Democratic | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
| ||
| Arizona | Jane Dee Hull | Republican | 1997 | Incumbent elected to full term. | nowrap |
| ||
| Arkansas | Mike Huckabee | Republican | 1996 | Incumbent elected to full term. | nowrap |
| ||
| California | Pete Wilson | Republican | 1990 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain. | nowrap |
| ||
| Colorado | Roy Romer | Democratic | 1986 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain. | nowrap |
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| Connecticut | John G. Rowland | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
| ||
| Florida | Lawton Chiles | Democratic | 1990 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain. | nowrap |
| ||
| Georgia | Zell Miller | Democratic | 1990 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold. | nowrap |
| ||
| Hawaii | Ben Cayetano | Democratic | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Idaho | Phil Batt | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican hold. | nowrap |
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| Illinois | Jim Edgar | Republican | 1990 | Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican hold. | nowrap |
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| Iowa | Terry Branstad | Republican | 1982 | Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain. | nowrap |
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| Kansas | Bill Graves | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Maine | Angus King | Independent | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Maryland | Parris Glendening | Democratic | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Massachusetts | Paul Cellucci | Republican | 1997 | Incumbent elected to full term. | nowrap |
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| Michigan | John Engler | Republican | 1990 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Minnesota | Arne Carlson | Republican | 1990 | Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Reform gain. | nowrap |
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| Nebraska | Ben Nelson | Democratic | 1990 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain. | nowrap |
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| Nevada | Bob Miller | Democratic | 1989 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain. | nowrap |
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| New Hampshire | Jeanne Shaheen | Democratic | 1996 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| New Mexico | Gary Johnson | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| New York | George Pataki | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Ohio | George Voinovich | Republican | 1990 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican hold. | nowrap |
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| Oklahoma | Frank Keating | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Oregon | John Kitzhaber | Democratic | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Pennsylvania | Tom Ridge | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Rhode Island | Lincoln Almond | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| South Carolina | David Beasley | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain. | nowrap |
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| South Dakota | Bill Janklow | Republican | 1978 1986 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Tennessee | Don Sundquist | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Texas | George W. Bush | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Vermont | Howard Dean | Democratic | 1991 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Wisconsin | Tommy Thompson | Republican | 1986 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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| Wyoming | Jim Geringer | Republican | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|
| Territory | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | Marion Barry | Democratic | 1994 | Incumbent retired. New mayor elected. Democratic hold. | nowrap |
| |||
| Guam | Carl Gutierrez | Democratic | 1994 | Incumbent re-elected.[1] | nowrap |
| |||
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Roy Schneider | Independent | 1994 | Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected.[2] Democratic gain. | nowrap |
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States where the margin of victory was under 1%:
States where the margin of victory was under 5%:
States where the margin of victory was under 10%: