1998 Alaska gubernatorial election

Republican primary

On the Republican side, three major candidates jockeyed for the nomination: businessman John Howard Lindauer, state senator Robin L. Taylor, and Wayne A. Ross. Lindauer won the open primary election, with Taylor coming in second. Ray Metcalfe, a defecting Republican who had founded the Republican Moderate Party of Alaska, also ran.

Campaign

Lindauer's campaign faltered late into the race as a result of his failure to disclose that his wife, a wealthy Chicago lawyer, had financed the bulk of his campaign. As a result of this revelation, the Republicans withdrew their support of Lindauer and backed Robin Taylor, the runner-up of the Republican primary, as a write-in candidate. Due to the lateness of this change, the Republicans unsuccessfully attempted to obtain a court order to delay the election. The collapse of Lindauer's campaign resulted in a three-way split of the Republican vote between him, Taylor, and the Republican Moderate Metcalfe.

Knowles defeated Taylor, his closest opponent, by 33%, the widest margin of victory for a gubernatorial candidate in Alaska history. Moreover, if Taylor's and Lindauer's totals are added together, Knowles defeated the two Republicans combined by 16% – still the widest margin in Alaska history until 2010. This was also the first time since 1970 that any candidate won an outright majority of the vote in an Alaska gubernatorial election.

Results

Notes

References

References

1. (June 2011)
2. Pear, Robert. (1998-11-04). "THE 1998 ELECTIONS: STATE BY STATE -- WEST; ALASKA". The New York Times.
3. (13 February 2007). "Knowles wins rare 2nd term in Alaska - November 3, 1998".
4. "1998 PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS". Alaska Division of Elections.
5. (16 May 2006). "Alaska GOP wants election delayed - October 30, 1998".
6. "Election Summary Report: State of Alaska 1998 General Election Official Results".