The 1998 Colorado gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998 to select the governor of the state of Colorado. Under newly applicable term limits, incumbent Governor Roy Romer, a Democrat, was unable to seek re-election. Lieutenant Governor Gail Schoettler, ran to succeed Romer, and won the Democratic primary; her running mate, Bernie Buescher, won the lieutenant-gubernatorial primary unopposed. In the Republican primary, Bill Owens, the State Treasurer, and his eventual running mate, Joe Rogers, won their respective primaries by wide margins.

In the general election, Owens narrowly defeated Schoettler, aided by a strong performance by Republican U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell in his re-election campaign. Owens's narrow election meant that he was the first Republican Governor in 24 years, and Rogers's election made him the second Black Lieutenant Governor in the state's history, after George L. Brown, who was elected in 1974. This was also the last election in which Colorado held separate primary elections for governor and lieutenant governor; following a statutory change in 2000, gubernatorial candidates selected their running mates prior to the primary.

Democratic primary Governor Candidates Gail Schoettler, Lieutenant Governor of Colorado Mike Feeley, Minority Leader of the Colorado State Senate

Results

Lieutenant governor Candidates Bernie Buescher, former Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing

Results

Republican primary Governor Candidates Bill Owens, Colorado State Treasurer Tom Norton, President of the Colorado State Senate

Results

Lieutenant governor Candidates Joe Rogers, former Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Hank Brown, 1996 Republican nominee for Colorado's 1st congressional district Jim Congrove, State Senator

Results

General election Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error GailSchoettler (D) BillOwens (R) UndecidedCiruli AssociatesOctober 30, 1998500 (LV)± 4.4%42%46%12%Ciruli AssociatesOctober 29, 1998500 (LV)± 4.4%41%45%14%Mason DixonOctober 26–28, 1998831 (LV)± 3.5%41%45%15%Ciruli AssociatesOctober 27, 1998500 (LV)± 4.4%40%46%14%Ciruli AssociatesOctober 26, 1998500 (LV)± 4.4%42%45%13%Ciruli AssociatesOctober 25, 1998500 (LV)± 4.4%41%45%14%Ciruli AssociatesOctober 22, 1998500 (LV)± 4.4%41%47%12%Ciruli AssociatesOctober 19–22, 1998400 (RV)± 5.0%41%47%12%Mason DixonOctober 9–12, 1998804 (LV)± 3.5%39%44%17%Ciruli AssociatesOctober 1–10, 1998 (LV)± .%40%40%20%Mason DixonJuly 27–29, 1998849 (LV)± 3.4%36%38%26%

Results

By county County Bill OwensRepublican Gail SchoettlerDemocratic Various candidatesOther parties Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % Adams 37,195 44.85% 43,462 52.41% 2,271 2.74% 6,267 -7.56% 82,915 Alamosa 2,611 49.00% 2,396 48.73% 104 2.13% 215 0.27% 4,916 Arapahoe 76,996 51.57% 69,278 46.40% 3,015 2.03% 7,718 5.17% 149,278 Archuleta 2,088 63.02% 1,093 32.99% 132 3.99% 995 30.03% 3,313 Baca 1,240 62.09% 706 35.35% 51 2.56% 534 26.74% 1,997 Bent 1,036 52.50% 907 45.97% 30 1.53% 129 6.53% 1,973 Boulder 39,487 37.48% 63,185 59.97% 2,686 2.55% -23,698 -22.49% 105,353 Chaffee 3,146 51.36% 2,843 46.41% 136 2.23% 303 4.95% 6,125 Cheyenne 809 69.44% 323 27.72% 33 2.84% 486 41.72% 1,165 Clear Creek 1,786 46.07% 1,936 49.94% 155 3.99%-150-3.87%3,876 Conejos 1,719 48.61% 1,742 49.26% 75 2.13% -23 -0.65% 3,536 Costilla 469 31.22% 975 64.91% 58 3.87% -506 -33.69% 1,502 Crowley 761 58.80% 506 39.10% 27 2.10% 255 19.70% 1,294 Custer 1,049 67.45% 454 29.19% 52 3.36% 595 38.26% 1,555 Delta 5,921 60.66% 3,547 36.34% 292 3.00% 2,374 24.32% 9,760 Denver 52,109 31.77% 103,540 63.13% 8,346 5.10% -51,431 -31.36% 163,995 Dolores 418 52.64% 345 43.45% 31 3.91% 73 9.19% 794 Douglas 33,167 62.69% 18,919 35.76% 819 1.55% 14,248 26.93% 52,905 Eagle 4,123 44.50% 4,874 52.60% 268 2.90% -751 -8.10% 9,265 El Paso 86,037 61.21% 50,199 35.71% 4,322 3.08% 35,838 25.50% 140,558 Elbert 4,296 64.33% 2,178 32.61% 204 3.06% 2,118 31.72% 6,678 Fremont 7,318 57.46% 5,105 40.08% 311 2.46% 2,213 17.38% 12,734 Garfield 5,534 45.20% 5,937 48.50% 770 6.30% -403 -3.30% 12,241 Gilpin 750 43.42% 887 51.36% 90 5.22% -137 -7.94% 1,727 Grand 2,209 52.35% 1,867 44.25% 143 3.40% 342 8.10% 4,219 Gunnison 1,818 34.52% 3,211 60.97% 237 4.51% -1,393 -26.45% 5,266 Hinsdale 227 55.77% 168 41.27% 12 2.96% 59 14.50% 407 Huerfano 1,016 40.07% 1,474 58.14% 45 1.79% -458 -18.07% 2,535 Jackson 494 62.92% 261 33.24% 30 3.84% 233 29.68% 785 Jefferson 94,387 50.26% 88,561 47.16% 4,820 2.58% 5,826 3.10% 187,768 Kiowa 645 66.35% 312 32.09% 15 1.56% 333 34.26% 972 Kit Carson 2,079 64.82% 1,077 33.58% 51 1.60% 1,002 31.24% 3,207 La Plata 4,198 44.18% 4,965 52.25% 338 3.57% -767 -8.07% 9,501 Lake 838 36.05% 1,385 59.59% 101 4.36% -547 -23.54% 2,324 Larimer 44,069 51.81% 38,920 45.76% 2,059 2.43% 5,149 6.05% 85,048 Las Animas 1,969 40.20% 2,809 57.36% 119 2.44% -840 -17.16% 4,897 Lincoln 1,298 64.70% 683 34.04% 25 1.26% 615 30.66% 2,006 Logan 3,903 58.04% 2,697 40.11% 124 1.85% 1,206 17.93% 6,724 Mesa 21,534 53.96% 17,248 43.22% 1,120 2.82% 4,286 10.74% 39,902 Mineral 211 47.84% 213 48.29% 17 3.87% -2 -0.45% 441 Moffat 2,669 61.51% 1,555 35.83% 115 2.66% 1,114 25.68% 4,339 Montezuma 4,217 56.73% 3,020 40.62% 196 2.65% 1,197 16.53% 7,433 Montrose 6,437 59.34% 4,136 38.13% 274 2.53% 2,301 21.21% 10,847 Morgan 4,562 55.91% 3,441 42.17% 156 1.92% 1,121 13.74% 8,159 Otero 3,254 56.07% 2,620 41.89% 127 2.04% 634 14.18% 6,254 Ouray 812 55.01% 617 41.80% 47 3.19% 195 13.21% 1,476 Park 2,771 55.66% 2,006 40.29% 201 4.05% 765 15.37% 4,978 Phillips 1,256 62.54% 714 35.55% 38 1.91% 542 26.99% 2,008 Pitkin 1,526 28.33% 3,659 67.94% 200 3.73% -2,133 -39.61% 5,385 Prowers 2,562 60.25% 1,643 38.64% 47 1.11% 919 21.61% 4,252 Pueblo 18,924 41.56% 25,878 56.83% 726 1.61% -6,954 -15.27% 45,528 Rio Blanco 1,737 66.75% 798 30.66% 67 2.59% 939 36.09% 2,602 Rio Grande 2,623 56.32% 1,935 41.55% 99 2.13% 688 14.77% 4,657 Routt 2,786 41.61% 3,697 55.22% 211 3.17% -911 -13.61% 6,694 Saguache 916 41.59% 1,196 54.31% 90 4.10% -280 -12.72% 2,202 San Juan 149 46.41% 151 47.04% 21 6.55% -2 -0.63% 321 San Miguel 714 31.70% 1,417 62.92% 121 5.38% -703 -31.22% 2,252 Sedgwick 672 54.32% 544 43.90% 23 1.78% 128 10.42% 1,239 Summit 2,595 40.35% 3,630 56.45% 205 3.20% -1,035 -16.10% 6,430 Teller 4,200 62.79% 2,275 34.01% 213 3.20% 1,925 28.78% 6,688 Washington 1,109 66.20% 509 30.38% 57 3.42% 600 35.82% 1,675 Weld 25,480 54.89% 19,977 43.03% 958 2.08% 5,503 11.86% 46,415 Yuma 2,421 61.18% 1,452 36.69% 84 2.13% 969 24.49% 3,957Total 645,80649.04%637,65548.42%33,1162.54%8,1510.62%1,316,577 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic San Juan

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Bent Chaffee Douglas Alamosa Larimer Grand Jefferson Logan Morgan Arapahoe Mesa Phillips Prowers Weld Sedgwick Yuma Otero

Notes

Partisan clients

References

External links 1998 CO governor election results at cnn.com