1998 Arkansas gubernatorial election

1998 Arkansas gubernatorial election
	County results; Huckabee: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%; Bristow: 50–60%
Governor before election; Mike Huckabee; Republican	Elected Governor ; Mike Huckabee; Republican

The 1998 Arkansas gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998 for the post of Governor of Arkansas. Incumbent Republican governor Mike Huckabee defeated Democratic nominee Bill Bristow to win a full term in office.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Bill Bristow, attorney
Dirk Anderson, farmer
Johnny Hoyt, state representative

Results

Democratic Party primary results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bill Bristow	129,639	55.22
	Democratic	Johnny Hoyt	90,057	38.36
	Democratic	Dirk Anderson	15,072	6.42
Total votes			234,769	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Mike Huckabee, incumbent governor of Arkansas
Gene McVay, army colonel

Results

Republican Primary results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Huckabee (inc.)	64,819	63.56
	Republican	Gene McVay	37,160	36.44
Total votes			101,979	100.00

General election

Campaign

In the beginning of the race, it was suspected that Republican nominee, incumbent governor Mike Huckabee would have to face a hard-fought election. Huckabee had assumed the office of governor in July 1996 after Jim Guy Tucker resigned over implications of his involvement in the Whitewater affair.^[2] Because Huckabee had not yet been elected to the post, and the aftermath of Tucker's resignation had temporarily tarnished the title of governor, it was deemed the Democratic challenger, Jonesboro attorney Bill Bristow, would be of worthy competition. However, Huckabee's appeal as an honest Southern Baptist minister in the wake of scandal and his brief but high-profile experience opposed to Bristow's lack thereof made him a much more attractive candidate amongst the Arkansas electorate.^[3] His well-funded grassroots campaign across all portions of the state and Bristow's lack of support from the Democratic Party, which was more focused on Blanche Lincoln's U.S. Senate race, enabled him to soar in the polls. On election day, Huckabee won the election with nearly 60% of the vote, the largest margin for any Republican governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction till Asa Hutchinson’s 2018 election performance of 65.3%.

According to a CNN exit poll, Huckabee received 48% of the African-American vote in his 1998 election;^[4] but some experts have questioned whether those numbers are a representative sample on how he did on the whole in the election.^[5]

Results

Arkansas gubernatorial election, 1998^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Mike Huckabee (inc.)	421,989	59.77%	+19.61%
	Democratic	Bill Bristow	272,923	38.66%	−21.18%
	Reform	Keith Carle	11,099	1.57%
Majority			10,829	19.54%	+0.14%
Turnout			706,011
	Republican hold		Swing

References

^ ^a ^b "Map". uselectionatlas.org.
^ Barnes, Steve (July 16, 1996). "Arkansas Governor Resigns After Furor". The New York Times.
^ Rosenbaum, David E. (November 4, 1998). "THE 1998 ELECTIONS: THE NATION -- GOVERNORS; George W. Bush Is Re-elected in Texas; His Brother Jeb Is Victorious in Florida". The New York Times.
^ Faughnahan, Brian (January 15, 2008). "Could Mike Huckabee be America's Second Black President?". The Weekly Standard. Archived from the original on January 20, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
^ "Ahead of debate, Huckabee's claim of black support questioned". Arkansas News. September 26, 2007. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
^ "1998 General: November 3, 1998". Arkansas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 28, 2016.

[Primary_election_results-1] "Map". uselectionatlas.org.

[2] Barnes, Steve (July 16, 1996). "Arkansas Governor Resigns After Furor". The New York Times.

[3] Rosenbaum, David E. (November 4, 1998). "THE 1998 ELECTIONS: THE NATION -- GOVERNORS; George W. Bush Is Re-elected in Texas; His Brother Jeb Is Victorious in Florida". The New York Times.

[4] Faughnahan, Brian (January 15, 2008). "Could Mike Huckabee be America's Second Black President?". The Weekly Standard. Archived from the original on January 20, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2015.

[5] "Ahead of debate, Huckabee's claim of black support questioned". Arkansas News. September 26, 2007. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2017.

[6] "1998 General: November 3, 1998". Arkansas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 28, 2016.

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v t e Elections in Arkansas
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U.S. Senate	Class 2: 1833 1839–40 1848 S 1853 1859 1868 S 1870 1876 1883 1885 S 1889 1895 1901 1907 1913 S 1913 1918 1924 1930 1936 1937 S 1942 1948 1954 1960 1966 1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002 2008 2014 2020 Class 3: 1837 1843 1845 S 1849 1855 1861 1867 1873 1879 1881 S 1885 1891 1897 1903 1909 1914 1916 S 1920 1926 1932 S 1932 1938 1944 1950 1956 1962 1968 1974 1980 1986 1992 1998 2004 2010 2016 2022
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'S,' denotes special election; 'U,' denotes election under Federal (Union) military occupation See also: Political party strength in Arkansas

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