The 1998 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Acting Governor

Paul Cellucci Argeo Paul Cellucci (; April 24, 1948 – June 8, 2013) was an American politician and diplomat from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Republican, he served as the 69th governor of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2001, and as the United State ...

was elected to his first term as

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...

Republican primary

Governor

Candidates

, acting

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 ...

Joe Malone Maurice Joseph Malone (February 28, 1890 – May 15, 1969) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He played in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Bulldogs, Montreal Canadiens, and Hamilt ...

, Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General

Campaign

The race between Cellucci and Malone was acrimonious, with each candidate accusing the other of committing ethical violations.

Results

On September 16, Cellucci defeated Malone to win his party's nomination.

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

* Janet E. Jeghelian, radio host (running with Malone) * Jane M. Swift, Secretary of Consumer Affairs (running with Cellucci)

=Declined

= *

Charlie Baker Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Baker was a cabinet official under two governors of Massach ...

, Secretary of Administration and Finance * Ralph C. Martin II, Suffolk County District Attorney

Results

Democratic primary

Governor

Candidates

* Brian J. Donnelly, former U.S. Representative and

United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago The current United States ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago is Shante Moore as Chargé d'Affaires ''ad interim''. The United States Embassy is located in Trinidad and Tobago's capital, Port of Spain, and was established there on August 31, 1962. ...

Scott Harshbarger Luther Scott Harshbarger (born December 1, 1941) is an American attorney and Democratic politician. He served as the 56th Massachusetts Attorney General from 1991 to 1999. In 1998, he was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Massachusetts but l ...

Massachusetts Attorney General The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder ...

Patricia McGovern Patricia McGovern is an attorney and former Democratic Massachusetts State Senator from Lawrence, Massachusetts. She was formerly the General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Corporate and Community Affairs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medica ...

, State Senator from

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

=Withdrew

= *

Joseph Kennedy II Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (born September 24, 1952) is an American businessman, Democratic politician, and a member of the Kennedy family. He is a son of former United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, and he is also a nephew ...

, U.S. Representative for

Massachusetts's 8th congressional district Massachusetts's 8th congressional district is located in eastern Massachusetts, including part of Boston. It is represented by Democrat Stephen Lynch. For one congressional term (1791–1793), it served as the home district of the District of Ma ...

Results

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

Dorothy Kelly Gay Dorothy "Dot" A. Kelly Gay is an Irish-born American politician who served as Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts and on the Massachusetts Governor's Council. Early life Gay was born on April 26, 1943 in Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland. Her ...

, Governor's Councilor from Somerville *

Warren Tolman Warren Eugene Tolman (born October 23, 1959 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American politician who has served as a member of both houses of the Massachusetts General Court. He was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts ...

, State Senator from

Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

Results

General election

Campaign

After Harshbarger's primary victory, many moderate Democrats who had voted for McGovern or Donnelly, chose to support the socially liberal, fiscally moderate Cellucci instead of the more liberal Harshbarger.

Polling

In a January opinion poll, Cellucci lead Harshbarger 50%-30%. By August, Harshbarger had taken a 37%-35% lead over Cellucci.

Results

On November 3, Cellucci defeated Harshbarger by 65,317 votes. https://electionstats.state.ma.us/elections/search/year_from:1972/year_to:2020/office_id:1/stage:General

Results by county

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massachusetts Gubernatorial Election, 1998

Gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

1998 1998 United States gubernatorial elections

Republican primary

Governor

Candidates

Campaign

Results

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

=Declined

Results

Democratic primary

Governor

Candidates

=Withdrew

Results

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

Results

General election

Campaign

Polling

Results

Results by county

See also

References