The 1998 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Democratic Governor Parris Glendening sought re-election. Governor Glendening emerged victorious from the Democratic primary after defeating several candidates. Former State Delegate Ellen Sauerbrey, who was the 1994 Republican nominee for governor, ran again for governor and won her party's nomination. The election between Glendening and Sauerbrey four years prior was extremely contentious, and ended with the Sauerbrey campaign challenging the results.^[2] Ultimately, despite the controversial nature of the previous election, Governor Glendening comfortably beat back Sauerbrey's spirited challenge, winning his second and final term as governor. As of 2024, this was the last time that Allegany County voted Democratic in a gubernatorial election and the last time that the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee of the winning ticket was not a person of color.

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1998 Maryland gubernatorial election

← 1994 November 3, 1998 2002 →
Turnout	60.59% 0.08%[1]
Nominee Parris Glendening Ellen Sauerbrey Party Democratic Republican Running mate Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Richard D. Bennett Popular vote 846,972 688,357 Percentage 55.1% 44.8%
County results Glendening:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Sauerbrey:      50–60%      60–70%
Governor before election Parris Glendening Democratic Elected Governor Parris Glendening Democratic

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