The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 3, 1998.^[1]

Primaries were held on March 17, 1998.^[2]

Elections were held for Assessor, Clerk, Sheriff, Treasurer, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, all 17 seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, all 3 seats of the Cook County Board of Review, 4 seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County.

1998 was a midterm election year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for federal (Senate and House) and those for state elections.

In the 1998 Cook County Assessor election, incumbent assessor James Houlihan, a Democrat, was elected to his first full-term. Houlihan had been appointed to the office in 1997, after Thomas Hynes (who had served as Cook County assessor since 1978) opted to resign from the office.^[5]

In the 1998 Cook County Clerk election, incumbent second-term clerk David Orr, a Democrat, was reelected.

In the 1998 Cook County Sheriff election, incumbent second-term sheriff Michael F. Sheahan, a Democrat, was reelected.

In the 1998 Cook County Treasurer election, incumbent sixth-term treasurer Edward J. Rosewell, a Democrat, did not seek reelection after having been indicted over a ghost jobs scheme (for which he would ultimately plead guilty).^[6] Cook County Commissioner Maria Pappas was elected to succeed him.

In the 1998 President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners election, incumbent first-term president John Stroger, a Democrat, was reelected.

Quick Facts All 17 seats on the Cook County Board of Commissioners 9 seats needed for a majority, First party ...

1998 Cook County Board of Commissioners election

← 1994 November 3, 1998 2002 →
All 17 seats on the Cook County Board of Commissioners 9 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Party Democratic Republican Seats before 11 6 Seats won 12 5 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 791,445 332,957 Percentage 70.39% 29.61%

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The 1998 Cook County Board of Commissioners election saw all seventeen seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners up for election to four-year terms.

In the 1998 Cook County Board of Review election, all three seats were up for election. This was the first election for what would be a newly reconstituted body. In 1996, the Illinois Legislature successfully passed Public Act 89-671, which made it so that, in 1998, the Cook County Board of Appeals would be renamed Cook County Board of Review and be reconstituted as a three-member body.^[8]

All elections held in 1998 were for four-year terms.^[9]

In the 1998 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election, four of the nine seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago board were up for election. Three were regularly scheduled elections, and one was a special election due to a vacancy.^[2][1]

Democrats won all four seats up for election.

Democratic incumbents Gloria Alitto Majewski and Patricia Young were reelected in the at-large election.^[1][10][11]

Partisan elections were held for judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County, due to vacancies. Other judgeships had retention elections.^[1]

Partisan elections were also held for subcircuit courts judgeships due to vacancies. Other judgeships had retention elections.^[1]

One ballot question was included on ballots county-wide during the March primary election.

Coinciding with the primaries, elections were held to elect both the Democratic and Republican committeemen for the suburban townships.^[2]

• 1998 Illinois elections