The 1998 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Acting governor Paul Cellucci was elected to his first term as governor of Massachusetts.
Primary elections were held on September 16. In the Republican primary, Cellucci defeated a challenge from state treasurer Joe Malone. Harshbarger won the Democratic nomination over state senator Patricia McGovern and former U.S. representative Brian J. Donnelly. Joseph P. Kennedy II was an early favorite for the Democratic nomination but withdrew in August 1997 following a series of personal scandals, including a tell-all book published by his ex-wife and media scrutiny of his brother Michael. He later retired from politics entirely after Michael's death from a skiing accident in December 1997.
Republican primary
Governor
Candidates
- Paul Cellucci, acting governor
- Joe Malone, Massachusetts treasurer and receiver-general
Withdrew
- Bill Weld, incumbent governor since 1991 (to focus on nomination as U.S. ambassador to Mexico)
Campaign
Early in 1997, popular incumbent Bill Weld was expected to run for re-election to a third term in office, setting up a fierce between him and Democratic U.S. representative Joseph P. Kennedy II. However, Weld withdrew from consideration after his nomination as U.S. ambassador to Mexico, and he resigned as governor entirely on July 29, 1997. His withdrawal and resignation left acting governor Paul Cellucci as the favorite for the Republican nomination.
The race between Cellucci and Malone was acrimonious, with each candidate accusing the other of committing ethical violations. After Kennedy withdrew from the Democratic race in August 1997, some Republicans viewed the race as significantly more winnable and called on Malone to drop out, avoiding an acrimonious primary and unifying behind Cellucci.
Results
On September 16, Cellucci defeated Malone to win his party's nomination.
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
- Janet E. Jeghelian, radio host (running with Malone)
- Jane Swift, secretary of consumer affairs (running with Cellucci)
- Charlie Baker, secretary of administration and finance
- Ralph C. Martin II, Suffolk County district attorney
Democratic primary
Governor
Candidates
- Brian J. Donnelly, former U.S. representative and U.S.ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago
- Scott Harshbarger, Massachusetts attorney general
- Patricia McGovern, former state senator from Lawrence
- Joseph P. Kennedy II, U.S. representative from Brighton, Boston and son of Robert F. Kennedy (withdrew August 1997)
Declined
- Marty Meehan, U.S. representative from Lowell
- Lois Pines, state senator from Newton (to run for lieutenant governor)
- Raymond Flynn, former mayor of Boston
Campaign
Joseph P. Kennedy II was a prohibitive favorite for the Democratic nomination and the favorite for the gubernatorial race as a whole. He was the first member of the Kennedy family to run for governor of any U.S. state, but the Kennedy family had won eighteen elections to public office while losing none. As a scion of the state's most prominent political family, he was considered an early favorite for the nomination, but his campaign was quickly derailed by personal scandal:
- In early 1997, his ex-wife, Sheila Rauch Kennedy, published her memoir Shattered Faith, in which she accused Kennedy of forcing her to agree to a 1991 annulment of their 12-year marriage against her wishes and against the interests of their twin sons.
- Shortly after the publication of Shattered Faith, Kennedy's brother Michael, who had been expected to run the campaign, faced legal scrutiny and negative media attention for an extramarital affair with his family's underage babysitter, including an investigation for statutory rape.
- In July 1997, Kennedy injured his 16-year-old son by lighting illegal fireworks at the family's Hyannisport compound.
- Finally, in August 1997, Kennedy faced dissent from within the family when his cousin, John F. Kennedy Jr., publicly labeled both him and Michael "poster boys for bad behavior" who had "chased an idealized alternative to their life" in his magazine, George.
Kennedy repeatedly apologized for the scandals, including to delegates at the Massachusetts Democratic state convention, while minimizing his own responsibility for his brother's alleged behavior. In April 1997, he told reporters, "It's a big family. There's always going to be a few little problems along the way, and this one might not be such a little one for everybody." Attorney general Scott Harshbarger, who had been considered a longshot against Kennedy, began to gain in the polls, pulling into a statistical tie in an April 1997 University of Massachusetts poll. The onslaught of negative press eroded Kennedy's popularity among voters, particularly women, a core constituency, and he fell behind Harshbarger in opinion polling. In July, a Boston Globe poll found that only 34 percent of respondents had a favorable opinion of Kennedy, down from 60 percent as recently as January 1997.
Amid the mounting scrutiny and scandal, Kennedy withdrew from the race on August 28, 1997. His decision left Harshbarger as the lone candidate in the race. Kennedy supporters, including fellow U.S. representative Barney Frank, blamed Michael for the decision. When Michael was killed in December 1997, Joseph Kennedy retired from politics entirely, opting not to run for re-election to the U.S. House.
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
- Dorothy Kelly Gay, governor's councilor from Somerville
- Warren Tolman, state senator from Watertown
Withdrew
- Lois Pines, state senator from Newton
General election
Candidates
- Paul Cellucci, incumbent governor of Massachusetts since 1997 (Republican)
- Running mate: Jane Swift, former Massachusetts secretary of consumer affairs and state senator from Williamstown
- Dean Cook (Libertarian)
- Scott Harshbarger, Massachusetts attorney general (Democratic)
- Running mate: Warren Tolman, state senator from Watertown
Campaign
After Harshbarger's primary victory, many moderate Democrats who had voted for McGovern or Donnelly chose to support the socially liberal, fiscally moderate Cellucci instead of the more liberal Harshbarger.
Polling
In a January opinion poll, Cellucci led Harshbarger 50%-30%. By August, Harshbarger had taken a 37%-35% lead over Cellucci.
Results
On November 3, Cellucci defeated Harshbarger by 65,317 votes.
Results by county
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Dukes
- Franklin
- Hampshire
- Middlesex
- Suffolk