The 1998 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Democratic Governor

Zell Miller Zell Bryan Miller (February 24, 1932 – March 23, 2018) was an American author and politician from the state of Georgia. A Democrat, Miller served as lieutenant governor from 1975 to 1991, 79th Governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as U. ...

was unable to seek re-election due to term limits, therefore creating an open seat. To replace him, State Representative

Roy Barnes Roy Eugene Barnes (born March 11, 1948)Cook, James F. (2005). ''The Governors of Georgia, 1754-2004, 3rd Edition, Revised and Expanded.'' Macon, GA: Mercer University Press. is an American attorney and politician who served as the 80th Govern ...

won the Democratic Party's nomination after a close and highly contested primary election, while businessman

Guy Millner Guy W. Millner (born February 16, 1936) is an American multi-millionaire businessman who ran as a Republican for Governor of Georgia in 1994, United States Senator from Georgia in 1996 and Governor of Georgia in 1998, losing all three races. M ...

, who had run for Governor and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in the previous four years, won the nomination of the Republican Party. In the general election, Barnes was able to defeat Millner by a margin of victory larger than Governor Miller's victory over Millner four years prior, which was in part due to the unpopularity and controversy of

Mitch Skandalakis Demetrios John "Mitch" Skandalakis is an American lawyer and former Republican Party politician from Georgia who rose quickly to national prominence in the early-1990s. He upset Martin Luther King III to become chairman of the Fulton County Bo ...

, the Republican nominee for

Lieutenant Governor of Georgia The lieutenant governor of Georgia is a constitutional officer of the State of Georgia, elected to a four-year term by popular vote. Unlike in some other U.S. states, the lieutenant governor is elected on a separate ticket from the Governor of Ge ...

. , this is the last time a Democrat was elected Governor of Georgia.

Democratic primary

Candidates

, State Representative from Marietta * Lewis A. Massey,

Georgia Secretary of State The Secretary of State of the U.S. state of Georgia is an elected official with a wide variety of responsibilities, including supervising elections and maintaining public records. The office has had a four-year term since 1946. Before 1880, th ...

David Poythress David Bryan Poythress (October 24, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was an American politician, born in Bibb County, Georgia. He served terms as Secretary of State and Commissioner of Labor of the state of Georgia. Poythress also served as the Adjutan ...

, Georgia Commissioner of Labor * Steve Langford,

Georgia State Senator The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia Ho ...

from LaGrange * Morris James * Carlton Myers, Pine Mountain veterinarian and candidate for Senate in 1974

Results

1998 Georgia gubernatorial election Democratic Primary

Runoff results

1998 Georgia gubernatorial election Democratic runoff

Republican primary

Candidates

, 1996 Republican nominee for the

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

Republican nominee for Governor of Georgia, businessman *

Mike Bowers Michael Joseph Bowers (born October 7, 1941) was the Attorney General of Georgia from 1981 to 1997 before mounting an unsuccessful campaign for Georgia Governor. Bowers was a Democrat through 1994, at which time he joined the Republican Party. B ...

Attorney General of Georgia The Attorney General of Georgia is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Georgia. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term at the same time as elections are held for Governor of Georgia and other offices. The ...

Nancy Schaefer Nancy Smith Schaefer (28 June 193626 March 2010) was an American politician and conservative legislator who served in the Georgia State Senate from 2004 to 2008. Education Born in Clayton, Georgia and of German descent, Schaefer went to the Un ...

Republican nominee for

* Bruce Hatfield

Results

1998 Georgia gubernatorial election Republican primary

General election

Results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Georgia Gubernatorial Election, 1998

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 s ...

Gubernatorial 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 ...

1998 United States gubernatorial elections