97-923 GOV
Updated June 10, 1998
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Congressional Primary Dates, 1998
Kevin Coleman
Analyst in American National Government
Government Division
Summary
This report lists the dates of 1998 primary elections and, where applicable, runoff
primary dates for the states and the District of Columbia. The election dates listed herein
were provided by the respective election offices in the states and the District of
Columbia; they are the dates for congressional primaries and for other state offices for
which primaries will be held in 1998. (Voters in Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, and
Virginia elect most state officials and members of the state legislature in odd-numbered
years.)
Table 1. Primary Election Dates in 1998, By State
State
Primary
Runoff Primary1
Alabama
June 2
June 30
Alaska
August 25
Arizona
September 8
Arkansas
May 19
June 9
California
June 2
Colorado
August 11
Connecticut
September 15
Delaware
September 12
District of Columbia
September 15
Florida
September 1
October 1
Georgia
July 21
August 11
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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CRS-2
State
Primary
Runoff Primary1
Hawaii
September 19
Idaho
May 26
Illinois
March 17
Indiana
May 5
Iowa
June 2
Kansas
August 4
Kentucky
May 26
Louisiana
October 3
Maine
June 9
Maryland
September 15
Massachusetts
September 15
Michigan
August 4
Minnesota
September 15
Mississippi
June 2
June 23
Missouri
August 4
Montana
June 2
Nebraska
May 12
Nevada
September 1
New Hampshire
September 8
New Jersey
June 2
New Mexico
June 2
New York
September 15
North Carolina2
September 15
North Dakota
June 9
Ohio
May 5
Oklahoma
August 25
September 15
Oregon
May 19
Pennsylvania
May 19

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CRS-3
State
Primary
Runoff Primary1
Rhode Island
September 15
South Carolina
June 9
June 23
South Dakota
June 2
June 16
Tennessee
August 6
Texas
March 10
April 14
Utah
June 23
Vermont
September 8
Virginia3
June 9
Washington
September 15
West Virginia
May 12
Wisconsin
September 8
Wyoming
August 18
1. In Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, and Texas, a runoff primary is held if no candidate wins 50% of the vote in the initial
primary election. In South Dakota, a runoff primary is held if no candidate wins 35% of the vote
in the first primary. In Louisiana, a candidate who wins 50% or more of the vote in the primary
is elected to the office. If no candidate achieves a majority in the primary, a runoff election is
held at the November general election. All candidates compete against each other in the primary,
regardless of party affiliation, and the two highest vote-getters compete in the runoff election,
even if they belong to the same political party.
2. North Carolina's congressional primary date was changed from May 5 to September 15 by a
federal judicial panel in order to provide sufficient time for the legislature to redraw
congressional district boundaries. The congressional runoff primary was canceled for 1998.
3. In Virginia, many candidates are nominated by party convention rather than in a primary.

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