The 1998 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998, to elect the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of the state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Incumbent Governor

John Engler John Mathias Engler (born October 12, 1948) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th Governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he later worked for Business Roundtable, where '' The Hill'' ...

, a member of the Republican Party, was re-elected over

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

nominee

Geoffrey Fieger Geoffrey Nels Fieger (born December 23, 1950) is an American attorney based in Southfield, Michigan. Fieger is the senior partner at the law firm of Fieger, Fieger, Kenney & Harrington P.C., and is an occasional legal commentator for NBC and MS ...

, a lawyer who had represented the

assisted suicide Assisted suicide is suicide undertaken with the aid of another person. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is suicide that is assisted by a physician or other healthcare provider. Once it is determined that the p ...

advocate

Jack Kevorkian Murad Jacob "Jack" Kevorkian (May 26, 1928 – June 3, 2011) was an American pathologist and euthanasia proponent. He publicly championed a terminal patient's right to die by physician-assisted suicide, embodied in his quote, "Dying is not ...

. , this was the last time Genesee County and

Washtenaw County Washtenaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw ...

voted for the Republican gubernatorial candidate.

Republican primary

Candidates

* Gary Artinian * John Engler, incumbent governor Engler, a two-term incumbent, faced token opposition in the Republican primary, winning re-nomination with 90 percent of the vote. Following Lt. Gov.

Connie Binsfeld Connie Berube Binsfeld (April 18, 1924 – January 12, 2014) was an American Republican politician from the U.S. State of Michigan. She served as the 60th lieutenant governor of Michigan. Starting as an advocate for the environment in planning fo ...

's decision to not seek a third term, State Senate Majority Leader Dick Posthumus received the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

* Geoffrey Fieger, Attorney * Larry Owen, former Mayor of

East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...

* Doug Ross Early in the race, Owen was considered the front runner. But due to Fieger's notoriety and personal wealth, he surpassed his opponents. He ended spending almost $6 million of his own money in the race. Fieger won a close race, taking 41 percent of the vote. State Rep. Jim Agee, after securing the support from the Michigan Education Association was picked by Fieger to be his running mate, over Fieger's initial preferred choice state Rep. Candace Curtis.

Results

Results by county

References

{{Michigan Gubernatorial Elections

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 frozen water, in soil in permanently ...