Idaho gubernatorial election, 1998

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The 1998 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998 to select the governor of the state of Idaho. Phil Batt, the Republican incumbent, chose not to run for a second term. The Republican nominee, United States Senator Dirk Kempthorne, handily defeated the Democratic nominee, former Idaho Supreme Court justice Robert C. Huntley, to keep the seat in GOP hands.

1 Republican Primary
2 Democratic Primary
3 General Election
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Republican Primary

Kempthorne easily defeated a little-known challenger to win the Republican nomination.

Republican Primary
Candidate	Votes	%
Dirk Kempthorne	111,658	87.2
David Shepherd	16,332	12.8

[edit] Democratic Primary

Huntley won a Democratic primary composed of primarily unknown candidates.

Democratic Primary
Candidate	Votes	%
Robert C. Huntley	14,638	54.3
William G. Tarnasky	4,769	17.7
Jack Wayne Chappell	4,666	17.3
Donald McMurrian	2,900	10.8

[edit] General Election

Given the lack of a high-profile candidate on the Democratic side, throughout the campaign many considered Kempthorne's election a foregone conclusion. Indeed, Huntley's performance was well below that of the 1994 Democratic nominee Larry EchoHawk. In addition, Peter Rickards, a podiatrist and anti-nuclear waste advocate from Twin Falls, siphoned off progressive votes that would have otherwise gone to the Democratic candidate.

Idaho Gubernatorial Election, 1998
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Robert C. Huntley	110,815	29.1	-14.8
	Republican	Dirk Kempthorne	258,095	67.7	+15.4
	Independent	Peter Rickards	12,338	3.2	N/A
Majority			134,942	35.4	+30.8
Turnout			381,248	58.5	-8.5
	Republican hold