# 1998 Arkansas gubernatorial election

Elections in Arkansas :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1836
1837
1840
1843
1844 sp
1846
1848
1848 sp
1853
1855
1859
1868
1870
1876
1877
1878
1883
1885
1885 sp
1889
1891
1895
1897
1901
1903
1906
1907
1909
1913
1913 sp
1914
1916 sp
1918
1920
1924
1926
1930
1932
1932 sp
1936
1937 sp
1938
1942
1944
1948
1950
1954
1956
1960
1962
1966
1968
1972
1974
1978
1980
1984
1986
1990
1992
1996
1998
2002
2004
2008
2010
2014
2016
2020
2022
2026
2028
U.S. House of Representatives elections
1836
1837
1838
1840
1842
1844
1846
1847
AL sp
1848
1851
1852
1853
1854
1856
1858
1860
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1885
3rd sp
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
2nd sp
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1913
6th sp
1914
1916
1918
1920
1921
6th sp
1922
1923
6th sp
1924
1926
1928
1930
4th sp
1932
1933
5th sp
1934
1936
1938
1939
4th sp
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1961
6th sp
1962
1964
1966
4th sp
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2001
3rd sp
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
State government
State elections
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1836
1840
1844
1848
1849 sp
1852
1856
1860
1862 (C)
1864 (U)
1868
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1913 sp
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
2022
Secretary of State elections
2022
Attorney General elections
2022
Treasurer elections
2022
2024 (special)
Senate elections
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
Ballot measures
1990
Amendment 3
2004
Amendment 3
2008
Act 1
2012
Issue 1
2018
Issue 5 :
Little Rock
Mayoral elections
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022 :
Fayetteville
Mayoral elections
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024 :
Fort Smith
Mayoral elections
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022 :
Springdale
Mayoral elections
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024 :
Jonesboro
Mayoral elections
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024 :
Rogers
Mayoral elections
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024 :
Conway
Mayoral elections
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024 :
vte :
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 :
| Party | 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 | Total votes | Total votes | 234,769 | 100.00 |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Mike Huckabee, incumbent governor of Arkansas
* Gene McVay, Air National Guard colonel

### Results

Republican Primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Mike Huckabee (inc.) | 64,819 | 63.56 |
| | Republican | Gene McVay | 37,160 | 36.44 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 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. 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. 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; but some experts have questioned whether those numbers are a representative sample on how he did on the whole in the election.

### Results

Arkansas gubernatorial election, 1998 :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 149,066 | 19.54% | +0.14% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 706,011 | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | | |