1998 Texas Attorney General election
November 3, 1998
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County results Cornyn: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Mattox: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Texas |
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| Government |
The 1998 Texas Attorney General election took place on November 3, 1998, to elect the Texas Attorney General. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Dan Morales chose not to seek re-election to a third term.
Former Justice of the Texas Supreme Court John Cornyn beat Democratic nominee and former Attorney General Jim Mattox, 54% to 44%. Cornyn became the first Republican elected Attorney General since Reconstruction.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- John Cornyn, former Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. (1991-1997)
Eliminated in primary
- Barry Williamson, Railroad Commissioner of Texas.
- Tom Pauken, former chairman of the Texas Republican Party. (1994-1997)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Barry Williamson | 208,345 | 38.10% | |
| Republican | John Cornyn | 176,269 | 32.24% | |
| Republican | Tom Pauken | 162,180 | 29.66% | |
| Total votes | 546,794 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Cornyn | 135,130 | 57.91% | |
| Republican | Barry Williamson | 98,218 | 42.09% | |
| Total votes | 233,348 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jim Mattox, former Texas Attorney General. (1983-1991)[3]
Eliminated in primary
- Morris Overstreet, judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.[4]
- Gene Kelley, perennial candidate.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Mattox | 444,746 | 67.99% | |
| Democratic | Morris Overstreet | 122,311 | 18.70% | |
| Democratic | Gene Kelley | 87,097 | 13.31% | |
| Total votes | 654,154 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Cornyn | 2,002,794 | 54.26% | |
| Democratic | Jim Mattox | 1,631,045 | 44.18% | |
| Libertarian | Mike Angwin | 57,604 | 1.56% | |
| Total votes | 3,691,443 | 100.00% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
References
- ^ "1998 Republican Primary". Texas Secretary of State.
- ^ "1998 Republican Runoff Primary". Texas Secretary of State.
- ^ "Tejano Democrats endorse two for attorney general". The Victoria Advocate. February 1, 1998.
- ^ "Mauro will try to unseat Bush in November". The Victoria Advocate. March 11, 1998.
- ^ "1998 Democratic Primary". Texas Secretary of State.
- ^ "1998 General Election". Texas Secretary of State.