☜ 1994 •  • 2002 ☞
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| UNITED STATES PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY JANUARY—JUNE 1998 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josiah Bartlet | John Hoynes | ||||
 |
 |
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| New Hampshire | Texas | ||||
| VOTES | |||||
| delegates | |||||
| contests | |||||
| popular | |||||
| PERCENTAGE | |||||
 | |||||
The 1998 Democratic Presidential Primaries were held to determine the Democratic Party's nominee for the 1998 Presidential Election.
Candidates[]
The following politicians declared themselves candidates for the election:
- Josiah Bartlet
- Governor of New Hampshire
- John Hoynes
- Senator from Texas
- William Wiley
- Senator from Washington
Proceedings[]
In the Fall of 1997, it appeared almost certain that Senator John Hoynes would easily become the Democratic nominee for President.[1] In fact, a poll taken in late October showed him leading by 48 points over any of his other challengers. However, after Hoynes won in the Iowa Caucus as expected, with Wiley finishing in second and Bartlet finishing a surprising third, Bartlet won an easy victory in New Hampshire, his home state.
The race then turned to South Carolina where Josiah Bartlet astonished many people throughout the country when he finished in second place behind Hoynes and ahead of Wiley. Wiley then dropped out, but it is not clear whether he endorsed Bartlet or Hoynes at this point. However, according to Bartlet's campaign manager Leo McGarry, they "got his money". Leading up to Super Tuesday, Bartlet carried Michigan, while Hoynes took South Dakota.
On Super Tuesday, Hoynes swept through the South as expected and Bartlet took the Northern tier states as well as the Pacific Northwest. Sen. Hoynes took Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Gov. Bartlet took Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The next week, Bartlet won a pivotal victory in the Illinois primary, giving him momentum to wrap up the nomination in the following weeks with wins in California and New York. Bartlet secured enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party once California was called for the former governor.
Hoynes and his former adviser Josh Lyman agreed that the turning point for the '98 Hoynes campaign was when Lyman defected from the Hoynes camp and joined the Bartlet campaign.
States[]
HOYNES VICTORIES
- Iowa
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Super Tuesday: Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and West Virginia
- Texas
BARTLET VICTORIES
- New Hampshire
- Michigan
- Super Tuesday: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington, and Wisconsin
- Illinois
- New York
- California, Bartlet secures the nomination.