1998 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1998 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election Pennsylvania presidential no 1994 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election 1994 1998 11 3 2002 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election 2002 Congressman Tom Ridge.jpg Tom Ridge Republican Party (United States) Mark Schweiker 1,736,844 57.42% Ivan Itkin 1980 3x4.jpg Ivan Itkin Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky Democratic Party (United States) 938,745 31.03% 3x4.svg Peg Luksik Jim Clymer Constitution Party (United States) 315,761 10.43% 260px County results 260px Congressional district results 260px Precinct results Ridge: #FFC8CD 30–40% #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90% #A80000 >90%Itkin: #BDD3FF 30–40% #A5B0FF 40–50% #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70% #584CDE 70–80% #3933E5 80–90% #0D0596 >90%Luksik: #E6CDFF 30–40% #CCAAFF 40–50% #B380FF 50–60% #9955FF 60–70%Tie: #DECDE6 30–40% #D2B1D9 40–50% #AE8BB1 50–60% #808080 No data Governor Tom Ridge Republican Party (United States) Tom Ridge Republican Party (United States) The 1998 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998 to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. Republican incumbent Tom Ridge was re-elected to a second term in office over Democratic state representative Ivan Itkin and anti-abortion activist Peg Luksik. As of 2026, this was the last gubernatorial election in which Delaware, Lackawanna or Montgomery counties voted for the Republican candidate and the last time a Republican was re-elected as governor of Pennsylvania. It was also the first time since 1930 that Greene, Fayette, or Washington counties voted Republican. Republican primary Incumbent Governor Ridge ran unopposed for the Republican nomination, and was endorsed by multiple newspapers across the state, including the York Daily Record."Today is the day to have your say." York, Pennsylvania: York Daily Record, November 3, 1998, p. 4 (subscription required). Democratic primary Candidates Don Bailey, former U.S. representative from Greensburg and Pennsylvania auditor general Ivan Itkin, state representative from Pittsburgh Bill Keisling, anti-corruption activist from York Campaign Itkin, although not well known in the state, was a powerful figure in the legislature and had the backing of the party establishment,Strader, Jim. "Candidates spend last day across state." Pottsville, Pennsylvania: Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald, November 3, 1998, p. 11 (subscription required). while the conservative Bailey drew strong union support. Results thumb|center|Democratic primary results #7996E2 Itkin #BDD3FF 30%-40% #A5B0FF 40%-50% #7996E2 50%-60% #6674DE 60%-70% #51C2C2 Bailey #ACF2F2 30%-40% #7DDDDD 40%-50% #51C2C2 50%-60% #2AACAC 60%-70% #009696 70%-80% #FFB380 Keisling #FEE5D5 30%-40% #FFCCAA 40%-50% Pennsylvania gubernatorial Democratic primary, 1998http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=187872 Our Campaigns - PA Governor - D Primary Race - May 19, 1998 Democratic Party (United States) Ivan Itkin 255,555 49.17 Democratic Party (United States) Don Bailey 200,451 38.57 Democratic Party (United States) Bill Keisling 63,696 12.26 519,702 100.00 General election Candidates Ivan Itkin, state representative (Democratic) Running mate: Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, former U.S. representative from Narberth Ken Krawchuk, technology consultant (Libertarian) Running mate: Henry Haller, attorney Peg Luksik, anti-abortion activist and 1994 candidate for governor (Constitution) Running mate: Jim Clymer, attorney and 1994 nominee for lieutenant governor Tom Ridge, incumbent governor since 1995 (Republican) Running mate: Mark Schweiker, incumbent lieutenant governor since 1995 Campaign During this election cycle, Democrats struggled with fundraising issues and had difficulty recruiting a top tier candidate. Itkin, who had little name recognition statewide, was considered to be a sacrificial lamb. Peg Luksik, who was well known as an outspoken opponent of abortion, ran as a strong third party contender for the second consecutive election cycle; she emphasized the pro-choice stances of both candidates and drew votes in the state's rural, conservative center. However, Ridge's victory was never in doubt, as he ran on a generally positive record from his prior term and a combination of traditional Republican strategies (such as his "tough on crime" image) combined with his ability to somewhat undercut Democratic support (such as through his labor ties).Kennedy John J. Pennsylvania Elections: Statewide Contests From 1950-2004 2006 University Press of America 9780761832799 https://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&q=1998+ridge+itkin Polling Poll source Date(s) SamplesizeKey:A – all adultsRV – registered votersLV – likely votersV – unclear Marginof error TomRidge (R) IvanItkin (D) PegLuksik (C)Other / undecidedCalculated by taking the difference of 100% and all other candidates combined. pollingHarris Insights & AnalyticsFiveThirtyEight's Pollster Ratings Raw Polls File https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fivethirtyeight/data/refs/heads/master/pollster-ratings/2023/raw-polls.csv October 15, 2026 GitHub FiveThirtyEightOctober 30, 19981,812—62%21%17%Mason-Dixon Polling & StrategyCNN AllPolitics Election '98 - Pennsylvania 1998 Polls https://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/1998/states/PA/polls/PA98G.html CNN 29 June 2025 https://archive.today/20250629185423/https://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/1998/states/PA/polls/PA98G.html 29 June 2025 liveOctober 26–27, 1998807 (LV)± 3.5%59%23%10%8%Millersville UniversityOctober 25, 1998481—66%15%19%Harris Insights & AnalyticsOctober 20, 19981,611—64%16%20%Mason-Dixon Polling & StrategyOctober 3–6, 1998801 (LV)± 3.5%58%24%18%Millersville UniversityPoll sponsored by KYW-TV3, the Philadelphia Daily News, & the Harrisburg PatriotSeptember 25–29, 1998629 (A)± 4.6%56%17%27%Mason-Dixon Polling & StrategySeptember 14–16, 1998806 (LV)± 3.5%59%23%18%Mason-Dixon Polling & StrategyAugust 2–4, 1998806 (LV)± 3.5%57%22%21% Results 1998 Pennsylvania gubernatorial electionThe Pennsylvania Manual, p. 7-94.The Pennsylvania Manual, p. 7-16. Republican Party (United States) Tom Ridge (incumbent) 1,736,844 57.42 Democratic Party (United States) Ivan Itkin 938,745 31.03 Constitution Party (United States) Peg Luksik 315,761 10.43 Libertarian Party (United States) Ken Krawchuk 33,591 1.11 281 0.01 3,025,022 100.0 41.67 Republican Party (United States) Results by county Countyhttps://staffweb.wilkes.edu/harold.cox/gov/PaGov1998.html Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Election Returns 1998 Wilkes University Election Statistics Project 11 January 2025 Tom RidgeRepublican Ivan ItkinDemocratic Peg LuksikConstitution Ken KrawchukLibertarian Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # % Adams 14,810 73.83% 3,682 18.35%1,3606.78%2081.04% 11,128 55.48% 20,060 Allegheny 169,316 48.14% 127,994 36.39%50,68914.41%3,7191.06% 41,322 11.75% 351,718 Armstrong 8,641 48.71% 4,900 27.62%4,09823.10%990.56% 3,741 21.09% 17,738 Beaver 24,993 47.14% 19,879 37.49%7,66914.46%4770.90% 5,114 9.65% 53,018 Bedford 8,232 68.25% 2,322 19.25%1,42711.83%810.67% 5,910 49.00% 12,062 Berks 49,716 62.51% 21,336 26.83%6,9268.71%1,5531.95% 28,380 35.68% 79,531 Blair 19,025 67.54% 4,410 15.66%4,51816.04%2160.77% 14,507 51.50%"margin" Compares margin over Luksik. 28,169 Bradford 12,534 74.70% 3,041 18.12%1,1016.56%1040.62% 9,493 56.58% 16,780 Bucks 93,697 64.85% 39,210 27.14%9,1456.33%2,4311.68% 54,487 37.71% 144,483 Butler 22,839 51.22% 10,593 23.76%10,75924.13%3950.89% 12,080 27.09%"margin" 44,586 Cambria 22,266 49.51% 12,675 28.18%9,72121.61%3130.70% 9,591 21.33% 44,975 Cameron 688 42.76% 266 16.53%64640.15%90.56% 42 2.61%"margin" 1,609 Carbon 7,503 54.98% 5,246 38.44%7165.25%1831.34% 2,257 16.54% 13,648 Centre 20,175 65.15% 7,295 23.56%3,10010.01%3971.28% 12,880 41.59% 30,967 Chester 68,572 67.62% 21,337 21.04%9,7869.65%1,7141.69% 47,235 46.58% 101,409 Clarion 5,861 57.21% 2,112 20.62%2,18221.30%890.87% 3,679 35.91%"margin" 10,244 Clearfield 11,437 56.10% 5,598 27.46%3,21515.77%1350.66% 5,839 28.64% 20,385 Clinton 5,348 62.28% 2,656 30.93%4875.67%961.12% 2,692 31.35% 8,587 Columbia 8,720 60.58% 4,175 29.00%1,4019.73%990.69% 4,545 31.58% 14,395 Crawford 13,875 63.30% 4,786 21.83%3,06513.98%1950.89% 9,089 41.47% 21,921 Cumberland 37,801 70.93% 8,610 16.16%6,36011.93%5220.98% 29,191 54.77% 53,293 Dauphin 39,914 64.79% 13,203 21.43%7,87112.78%6151.00% 26,711 43.36% 61,603 Delaware 97,746 63.32% 42,283 27.39%12,3688.01%1,9761.28% 55,463 35.93% 154,373 Elk 4,520 49.43% 2,500 27.34%2,07322.67%510.56% 2,020 22.09% 9,144 Erie 49,027 63.68% 16,783 21.80%10,45013.57%7240.94% 32,244 41.88% 76,984 Fayette 13,215 43.88% 12,863 42.71%3,69912.28%3421.14% 352 1.17% 30,119 Forest 987 63.80% 375 24.24%18111.70%40.26% 612 39.56% 1,547 Franklin 21,793 69.67% 6,527 20.87%2,7598.82%2000.64% 15,266 48.80% 31,279 Fulton 2,210 66.25% 885 26.53%2306.89%110.33% 1,325 39.72% 3,336 Greene 4,211 45.88% 3,900 42.49%96310.49%1041.13% 311 3.39% 9,178 Huntingdon 6,253 65.25% 1,936 20.20%1,32013.77%740.77% 4,317 45.05% 9,583 Indiana 11,733 50.73% 6,910 29.88%4,33418.74%1520.66% 4,823 20.85% 23,129 Jefferson 6,493 58.08% 2,473 22.12%2,13119.06%820.73% 4,020 35.96% 11,179 Juniata 3,947 65.98% 1,266 21.16%74012.37%290.48% 2,681 44.82% 5,982 Lackawanna 35,039 52.96% 25,297 38.24%5,2087.87%6150.93% 9,742 14.72% 66,159 Lancaster 72,198 72.13% 15,891 15.88%11,16911.16%8410.84% 56,307 56.25% 100,099 Lawrence 13,115 51.46% 9,259 36.33%2,95611.60%1540.60% 3,856 15.13% 25,484 Lebanon 20,263 72.70% 4,775 17.13%2,5889.28%2470.89% 15,488 55.57% 27,873 Lehigh 50,526 65.79% 22,472 29.26%2,8903.76%9101.18% 28,054 36.53% 76,798 Luzerne 44,030 58.96% 23,827 31.90%6,1258.20%7020.94% 20,203 27.06% 74,864 Lycoming 20,511 70.85% 6,058 20.93%2,1027.26%2800.97% 14,453 49.92% 28,951 McKean 6,742 68.43% 2,086 21.17%9399.53%850.86% 4,656 47.26% 9,852 Mercer 15,958 52.77% 10,349 34.23%3,70412.25%2270.75% 5,609 18.54% 30,238 Mifflin 6,914 71.01% 2,010 20.65%7237.43%890.91% 4,904 50.36% 9,736 Monroe 17,243 65.97% 7,160 27.40%1,3455.15%3881.48% 10,083 7.84% 26,136 Montgomery 129,376 61.42% 62,734 29.78%14,9597.10%3,5671.69% 66,642 31.64% 210,636 Montour 2,700 64.18% 1,012 24.06%46911.15%260.62% 1,688 40.12% 4,207 Northampton 42,352 64.15% 20,461 30.99%2,3373.54%8671.31% 21,891 33.16% 66,017 Northumberland 13,468 58.95% 7,051 30.86%2,0118.80%3171.39% 6,417 28.09% 22,847 Perry 7,023 68.83% 1,487 14.57%1,60415.72%890.87% 5,419 53.11%"margin" 10,203 Philadelphia 107,731 35.06% 183,066 59.58%13,0724.25%3,4011.11% -75,335 -24.52% 307,270 Pike 6,843 68.45% 2,726 27.27%3333.33%950.95% 4,117 41.18% 9,997 Potter 3,121 68.53% 963 21.15%4499.86%210.46% 2,158 47.38% 4,554 Schuylkill 27,992 63.14% 12,108 27.31%3,9208.84%3130.71% 15,884 35.83% 44,333 Snyder 5,565 69.95% 1,405 17.66%91911.55%670.84% 4,160 52.29% 7,956 Somerset 14,829 61.15% 5,676 23.40%3,56914.72%1780.73% 9,153 37.75% 24,252 Sullivan 1,609 69.62% 524 22.67%1637.05%150.65% 1,085 46.95% 2,311 Susquehanna 9,330 71.79% 2,830 21.77%7365.66%1010.78% 6,500 50.02% 12,997 Tioga 7,000 70.54% 2,071 20.87%7988.04%540.54% 4,929 49.67% 9,923 Union 5,395 68.20% 1,700 21.49%7579.57%580.73% 3,695 46.71% 7,910 Venango 9,643 62.96% 3,595 23.47%1,99113.00%870.57% 6,048 39.49% 15,316 Warren 6,760 60.71% 2,301 20.66%1,97517.74%990.89% 4,459 40.05% 11,135 Washington 22,825 43.56% 20,050 38.27%9,11317.39%4050.77% 2,775 5.29% 52,393 Wayne 8,692 70.57% 2,892 23.48%6034.90%1291.05% 5,800 47.09% 12,316 Westmoreland 44,331 44.54% 32,375 32.53%22,02522.13%8040.81% 11,956 12.01% 99,535 Wyoming 6,965 74.54% 1,682 18.00%6166.59%810.87% 5,283 56.54% 9,344 York 62,657 72.47% 16,825 19.46%6,1037.06%8801.02% 45,832 53.01% 86,465Totals1,736,84457.42%938,74531.03%315,76110.44%33,5911.11%798,09926.39%3,024,941 Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Alleghany Beaver Cambria Fayette Greene Lackawanna Lawrence Luzerne Washington Westmoreland Notes Partisan clients References Sources Cromwell Gary E 1999 The Pennsylvania Manual 114 Harrisburg Pennsylvania Department of General Services 0-8182-0248-3 1998 Gubernatorial Pennsylvania