1998Final results
1998 election for Utah's 2nd District
U.S. House · Utah
Merrill Cook (R) won with 52.8% of the vote, defeating Lily Eskelsen (D) by 9.3 points.
Merrill CookRepublican · winner
52.8%93,718
Lily EskelsenDemocrat
43.5%77,198
Ken LarsenIndependent
2.3%3,998
Brian E. SwimLibertarian
0.8%1,390
Arly H. PedersenIndependent
0.5%813
Robert C. LeshNatural Law
0.3%524
177,641 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1998
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Lily EskelsenMerrill Cook
$712.5K
Raised by the campaign
$657K
$677.3K
Spent by the campaign
$647.2K
$35.1K
Cash on hand
$10.1K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1998.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1998
The candidates
Merrill Cook (R)Lily Eskelsen (D)
Also on the ballot: Ken Larsen (Independent), 2.3%; Brian E. Swim (Libertarian), 0.8%; Arly H. Pedersen (Independent), 0.5%; Robert C. Lesh (Natural Law), 0.3%