The 1998 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998 to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Angus King was re-elected to a second term in office in a landslide against James B. Longley Jr., Thomas J. Connolly, and Pat LaMarche.
This election was the first since 1982 in which the winning candidate received greater than 50 percent of the popular vote and the last such election until 2018. As of 2026, this is the most recent election in which Maine elected an independent governor and in which any candidate won every county in the state.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Thomas J. Connolly, attorney and activist
- Joseph Ricci, founder of the Élan School and owner of Scarborough Downs
Republican primary
Candidates
- Henry L. Joy, state representative from Crystal
- James B. Longley Jr., former U.S. representative from Falmouth and son of former governor James B. Longley
- Leo G. Martin
General election
Candidates
- William P. Clarke Jr. (Constitution)
- Thomas J. Connolly, attorney and activist (Democratic)
- Angus King, incumbent governor of Maine since 1995 (Independent)
- Pat LaMarche, activist (Green)
- James B. Longley Jr., former U.S. representative from Falmouth and son of former governor James B. Longley (Republican)
Campaign
Connolly was inspired to run following King's handling of the January 1998 North American ice storm, which hit Maine particularly hard, while Longley criticized Maine's tax burden and echoed the Republican line that King was a "Democrat in disguise."
Endorsements
Jim Longley
Individuals
- Jock McKernan, former governor of Maine (1987–95) and former U.S. representative (1983–87)
- Olympia Snowe, U.S. senator from Maine since 1995 and former U.S. representative (1979–95)
Pat LaMarche
Results
King won in a landslide, carrying all sixteen counties and nearly every municipality. Longley did carry 22 municipalities in rural northern and eastern Maine and tied King in two other municipalities. Connolly won only the Passamaquoddy Indian Township Reservation, though he did tie King in the small town of Beddington (at four votes apiece). Clarke carried the town of Talmadge, eight votes to seven for King. Despite getting nearly twice the votes of Clarke, LaMarche failed to carry any municipalities, though she tied King in Allagash and finished second in Jackson.
By county
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Independent
- Kennebec (largest city: Augusta)
- Somerset (largest town: Skowhegan)
- York (largest town: Biddeford)
Counties that flipped from Republican to Independent
- Aroostook (largest city: Presque Isle)
- Hancock (largest town: Ellsworth)
- Penobscot (largest city: Bangor)
- Piscataquis (largest municipality: Dover-Foxcroft)
- Washington (largest city: Calais)