1998 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts election

1998 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts election Texas presidential no 1994 2002 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts election 2002 31.9%Turnout and Voter Registration Figures (1970-current) https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/historical/70-92.shtml Texas Secretary of State 1998 11 03 File:Carole Keeton Strayhorn (1).jpg Carole Keeton Rylander Republican Party of Texas 1,821,231 49.55% 3x4.svg Paul Hobby Texas Democratic Party 1,801,008 49.00% File:1998 Texas comptroller of public accounts election results map by county.svg 310px County resultsRylander: #FFB2B2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80%Hobby: #A5B0FF 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90% Comptroller John Sharp Texas Democratic Party Carole Keeton Rylander Republican Party of Texas The 1998 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts election took place on November 3, 1998, to elect the comptroller of Public Accounts of Texas. Incumbent Democratic comptroller John Sharp chose to run for lieutenant governor instead of seeking another term. In the Democratic primary, businessman Paul Hobby, son of former Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, won the nomination unopposed. In the Republican primary, incumbent Railroad Commissioner Carole Keeton Rylander won the nomination unopposed. In the general election, Republican candidates swept all of the statewide offices. Rylander's win was the narrowest margin as she defeated Hobby by just 0.55% of the vote, becoming the first Republican comptroller of Texas since Reconstruction.1998 Comptroller General General Election Results - Texas https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=48&year=1998&f=0&off=10&elect=0 2026-03-14 uselectionatlas.org Republicans have won every Texas comptroller election since the 1998 election. This was the first election since the office of Texas State Treasurer was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the Comproller's office. Republican primary Candidates Carole Keeton Rylander, Texas railroad commissioner Results Republican primary resultsOffice of the Secretary of State, Race Summary Report, 1998 Republican Party Primary Election, 3/10/1998 https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/1998rp.pdf Texas Secretary of State 13 March 2026 Carole Keeton Rylander Republican Party (United States) 432,558 100.00 432,558 100.0 Democratic primary Candidates Paul Hobby, businessman Democratic primary results1998 Democratic Party Primary Election - Race Summary Report https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/1998dp.pdf Office of Texas Secretary of State Paul Hobby Texas Democratic Party 472,027 100.0% 472,027 100.0% General election Following George W. Bush's victory over incumbent governor Ann Richards in 1994, and Republicans' takeover of the state senate in 1996, Texas Democrats were clearly on the back foot heading into the 1998 election campaign.Barboza David 1996-11-29 Republicans Strike Deep In the Heart Of Texas https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/29/us/republicans-strike-deep-in-the-heart-of-texas.html 2026-03-14 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Nonetheless, the Comptroller's race was viewed by many political observers as one of the most winnable statewide races for Democrats due to Paul Hobby's conservative history. Despite the progressive streak of Hobby's father, former Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, Paul Hobby was more "business oriented," and had even rejected an offer from Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock to be the Chair of the Texas Democratic Party.Staff Jenny 1998-10-30 Soul Searching https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/soul-searching-11731385/ 2026-03-14 The Austin Chronicle en-US Late in the campaign, when Hobby appeared to be on track to a narrow victory, Rylander received a $950,000 loan from conservative Christian activist James Leininger, which allowed her campaign to dominate the television airwaves.Staff Texas Observer 1999-09-17 The Back Page https://www.texasobserver.org/276-the-back-page-miss-piggy-goes-to-antones/ 2026-03-14 The Texas Observer en-US Many political observers viewed this as the turning point in the campaign.Ramsey Ross 2008-10-20 Just In Time Money https://www.texastribune.org/2008/10/20/just-in-time-money/ 2026-03-14 The Texas Tribune en-US Rylander defeated Hobby by a mere 20,223 votes, or 0.55% of the vote. Rylander's best performance came from the Texas Hill Country, the Dallas and Houston suburbs, and the Texas Panhandle. Hobby's best performance came from the traditionally Democratic areas of South Texas, as well as east Texas, an area with higher proportions of black voters.Texas Counties: 2020 Racial Percentages - Black https://www.texascounties.net/statistics/raceblack2020.htm 2026-03-14 www.texascounties.net Rylander's victory made her the first Republican Comptroller since Reconstruction and the first female Comptroller.Runnels Ayden 2025-03-27 Carole Keeton Strayhorn, first woman to serve as Texas comptroller, dies at 85 https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/texas/2025/03/27/517019/carole-keeton-strayhorn-first-woman-to-serve-as-texas-comptroller-dies-at-85/ 2026-03-14 Houston Public Media en-US Candidates Paul Hobby, businessman (D) Alex Monchak (L) Carole Keeton Rylander, Texas railroad commissioner (R) Results 1998 election for Comptroller of Public Accounts Republican Party (US) Carole Keeton Rylander 1,821,231 49.55 Democratic Party (US) Paul Hobby 1,801,008 49.00 Libertarian Party (US) Alex Monchak 53,536 1.46 20,223 0.55 3,675,775 100.00 Republican Party (US) Democratic Party (US) See also Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts References Category:1998 Texas elections Category:1998 in Texas Category:Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts elections