View source for 1998 New York Attorney General election

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is already sufficiently detailed; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name      = 1998 New York Attorney General election
| country            = New York
| flag_image         = Flag of New York (1909–2020).svg
| type               = presidential
| ongoing            = no
| previous_election  = 1994 New York Attorney General election
| previous_year      = 1994
| next_election      = 2002 New York Attorney General election
| next_year          = 2002
| election_date      = November 3, 1998
| image1             = File:Eliot Spitzer (higher res).jpg
| image_size = x150px
| nominee1           = '''[[Eliot Spitzer]]'''
| party1             = Democratic Party (United States)
| popular_vote1      = '''2,084,948'''
| percentage1        = '''48.2%'''
| image2             = File:Dennis Vacco (New York Attorney General).jpg
| nominee2           = [[Dennis Vacco]]
| party2             = Republican Party (United States)
| popular_vote2      = 2,059,762
| percentage2        = 47.6%
| map_image          = 1998 New York Attorney General election results map by county.svg
| map_size           = 305px
| map_caption        = County results<br/>'''Spitzer:''' {{legend0|#a5b0ff|40–50%}} {{legend0|#7996e2|50–60%}} {{legend0|#6674de|60–70%}} {{legend0|#584cde|70–80%}} {{legend0|#3933e5|80–90%}} <br/>'''Vacco:''' {{legend0|#ffb2b2|40–50%}} {{legend0|#e27f7f|50–60%}} {{legend0|#d75d5d|60–70%}} {{legend0|#d72f30|70–80%}}
| title              = Attorney General
| before_election    = [[Dennis Vacco]]
| before_party       = Republican Party (United States)
| after_election     = [[Eliot Spitzer]]
| after_party        = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{ElectionsNY}}
The 1998 [[New York Attorney General]] election took place on November 3, 1998 along with elections to the [[United States Senate]] in other states as well as elections to the [[United States House of Representatives]] and various state and local elections.  Democratic challenger [[Eliot Spitzer]] unseated one-term Republican incumbent [[Dennis Vacco]] in a major upset, with Vacco conceding on December 14, after accusing New York City voters, primarily in predominately Black and Latino areas, of voter fraud.

==Democratic primary==

=== Candidates ===

* [[Catherine M. Abate|Catherine Abate]], State Senator from [[Manhattan]]
* [[Evan A. Davis]], former counsel to Governor [[Mario Cuomo]]
* [[Oliver Koppell]], former Attorney General and State Assemblyman from the Bronx
* [[Eliot Spitzer]], white collar defense attorney and candidate in 1994

===Polling===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Source
! Date
! Oliver Koppell
! Catherine Abate
! Eliot Spitzer
! Evan Davis
|-
| Quinnipiac
| February 26, 1998
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|'''7%'''
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|'''7%'''
| 2%
| 5%
|-
| Quinnipiac
| July 16, 1998
| 16%
| 13%
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|'''18%'''
| -
|}

===Statewide Results===
{{Election box begin | title=New York Democratic Attorney General primary, 1998}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = [[Eliot Spitzer]]
  |votes      = 279,180
  |percentage = 41.54%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = [[Catherine Abate]]
  |votes      = 186,626
  |percentage = 27.77%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = [[Oliver Koppell]]
  |votes      = 145,231
  |percentage = 21.61%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate = [[Evan A. Davis]]
  |votes = 60,978
  |percentage = 9.07%
  |change =
}}
{{Election box majority|
  |votes      = 92,554
  |percentage = 13.77%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box turnout|
  |votes      = 672,015
  |percentage = %
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box end}}

==General election==
===Polling===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Source
! Date
! Dennis Vacco (R)
! Eliot Spitzer (D)
|-
| Quinnipiac
| September 27, 1998
| {{party shading/Republican}}|'''46%'''
| 37%
|-
| Quinnipiac
| October 15, 1998
| {{party shading/Republican}}|'''45%'''
| 33%
|-
| Quinnipiac
| October 28, 1998
| {{party shading/Republican}}|'''47%'''
| 34%
|}

==Results==
{{Election box begin
| title=1998 New York Attorney General Election}}
{{Election box candidate with party link 
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = ''Eliot Spitzer''
  |votes      = ''2,018,591''
  |percentage = ''46.67%''
  |change     = ''+1.63%''
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link 
  |party      = Liberal Party of New York
  |candidate  = ''Eliot Spitzer''
  |votes      = ''66,357''
  |percentage = ''1.53%''
  |change     = ''−0.81%''
}}
{{Election box winning candidate
 | candidate  = ''[[Eliot Spitzer]]''
 | party      = Total
 | votes      = ''2,084,948''
 | percentage = ''48.20%''
 | change     = ''+0.82%''
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link 
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = ''Dennis Vacco''
  |votes      = 1,757,539
  |percentage = 40.63%
  |change     = −2.08%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link 
  |party      = Conservative Party of New York State
  |candidate  = ''Dennis Vacco''
  |votes      = 302,223
  |percentage = 6.99%
  |change     = +0.42%
}}
{{Election box candidate
 | candidate  = [[Dennis Vacco]] (incumbent)
 | party      = Total
 | votes      = 2,059,762
 | percentage = 47.62%
 | change     = −1.66%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link 
  |party      = Independence Party of New York
  |candidate  = [[Catherine M. Abate]]
  |votes      = 81,439
  |percentage = 1.88%
  |change     = +1.07%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link 
  |party      = New York State Right to Life Party
  |candidate  = Robert W. Dapelo
  |votes      = 60,399
  |percentage = 1.40%
  |change     = −0.44%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link 
  |party      = Libertarian Party of New York
  |candidate  = Daniel A. Conti Jr.
  |votes      = 19,864
  |percentage = 0.46%
  |change     = +0.05%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link 
  |party      = Green Party of New York
  |candidate  = Johann L. Moore
  |votes      = 18,984
  |percentage = 0.44%
  |change     = NA
}}
{{Election box turnout|
 |votes = 4,325,396
 |percentage =
 |change = −7.65%
}}
{{Election box gain with party link without swing
 | winner     = Democratic Party (United States)
 | loser      = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==See also==
{{sequence|
 prev=[[New York Attorney General election, 1994|1994]]|
 list= New York Attorney General election<br>1998|
 next=[[New York Attorney General election, 2002|2002]]
}}
{{New York elections}}
{{1998 United States elections|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:New York Attorney General elections|1998]]
[[Category:1998 New York (state) elections|Attorney General]]
[[Category:1998 United States state attorney general elections|New York]]
[[Category:Eliot Spitzer]]


{{NewYork-election-stub}}