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1994 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

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1994 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

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FieldValue
election_name1994 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election
countryPennsylvania
typepresidential
election_date
ongoingno
previous_election1990 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election
previous_year1990
next_election1998 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election
next_year1998
image1File:Congressman Tom Ridge.jpg
image_size150x150px
nominee1**Tom Ridge**
running_mate1**Mark Schweiker**
party1Republican Party (United States)
popular_vote1**1,627,976**
percentage1**45.40%**
image2File:Mark Singel.jpg
nominee2Mark Singel
running_mate2Tom Foley
party2Democratic Party (United States)
popular_vote21,430,099
percentage239.88%
image33x4.svg
nominee3Peg Luksik
running_mate3Jim Clymer
party3Constitution Party (United States)
popular_vote3460,269
percentage312.84%
map_image
map_caption**Ridge:**
**Singel:**
**Luksik:**
**Tie:**
titleGovernor
before_electionRobert P. Casey
before_partyDemocratic Party (United States)
after_electionTom Ridge
after_partyRepublican Party (United States)

Singel:
Luksik:
Tie:
The 1994 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994. The incumbent governor, Bob Casey, Sr. (Democrat), was barred from seeking a third term by the state constitution. The Republican Party nominated Congressman Tom Ridge, while the Democrats nominated Mark Singel, Casey's lieutenant governor. Ridge went on to win the race with 45% of the vote. Singel finished with 39%, and Constitution Party candidate Peg Luksik finished third, garnering 12% of the vote.

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Catherine Baker Knoll, Pennsylvania Treasurer (from Allegheny County)
  • Dwight Evans, State Representative (from Philadelphia)
  • Bob O'Donnell, State Representative and former Speaker of the House (from Philadelphia)
  • Mark Singel, Lieutenant Governor (from Cambria County)
  • Phillip Valenti, LaRouche activist (from Chester County)
  • Chuck Volpe, insurance executive (from Allegheny County)
  • Lynn Yeakel, philanthropist and 1992 nominee for U.S. Senate (from Montgomery County)

Campaign

Lt. Governor Singel was a well-known figure in the state and was a clear early frontrunner after serving six months as acting governor as Bob Casey underwent cancer treatments. However, his 1992 defeat by Lynn Yeakel in the 1992 Democratic primary for senate left the party feeling that Singel was vulnerable in a statewide election. Treasurer Catherine Baker Knoll, who was popular with older voters and siphoned the support of some labor groups from Singel, was viewed as his biggest threat, but state representative Dwight Evans, who mobilized urban minority voters, finished a somewhat surprising second. Former state Speaker of the House Bob O'Donnell and Yeakel, who was criticized for campaigning poorly in the close 1992 senate race, both saw their campaigns fail to get traction.

Results

Democratic primary results

]]

Republican primary

Candidates

  • Sam Katz, political consultant (from Philadelphia)
  • Mike Fisher, state senator and 1986 lieutenant governor nominee (from Allegheny County)
  • Jack Perry
  • Ernie Preate, Pennsylvania Attorney General (from Lackawanna County)
  • Tom Ridge, U.S. Representative from Erie (from Erie County)

Campaign

Attorney General Ernie Preate, who was known for both being a tough prosecutor and working to reform the mental health system, was seen as the initial frontrunner, but his attempt was marred by a corruption controversy. Mike Fisher, a state senator and former candidate for lieutenant governor, sought to take advantage of Preate's missteps but was unable gain a majority of establishment support. Tom Ridge, who Republicans had initially tried to court to run in the 1990 election, slowly built name recognition and gained political backing due to his relatively moderate track record. https://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&dq=singel+dwight+evans&pg=PA110

Results

Republican primary results

]]

General election

Candidates

  • Patrick Fallon (Libertarian)
    • Vince Hatton
  • Tom Holloway (Reform)
    • Mark Freeman
  • Peg Luksik, director of an anti-abortion organization (Constitution)
    • running mate: Jim Clymer, attorney
  • Mark Singel, Lt. Governor (Democratic)
    • running mate: Tom Foley, Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry
  • Tom Ridge, U.S. Representative from Erie (Republican)
    • running mate: Mark Schweiker, Bucks County Commissioner

Campaign

Prior to the election, Singel appeared to be a candidate who would be difficult to beat; he had gained wide name recognition and a positive job appraisal for his service as acting governor during Bob Casey's battle with serious illness. In contrast, Ridge had been a relatively obscure Congressman who was mostly unknown outside of his Erie base. Ridge proved to be a successful fundraiser and undercut support from Democrats in the socially liberal but fiscally conservative suburbs of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Abortion became a key issue in the campaign. Peg Luksik ran a strong third party campaign in opposition to the Republican nominations of the pro-choice Ridge and Barbara Hafer in their most recent two gubernatorial campaigns. Singel, who is also pro-choice, gained only lukewarm support from his former boss Casey, a vocal critic of abortion policy.

The tide began to turn against Singel after the revelation that he had voted to parole an individual named Reginald McFadden, who would later be charged for a series of murders in New York City. Ridge, whose campaign emphasized his "tough on crime" stance, took advantage of this situation, much in the manner that George H. W. Bush had used the Willie Horton incident against Michael Dukakis. Singel was further undercut by a lack of Democratic enthusiasm; turnout was particularly low in strongholds such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Scranton.

Polling

SourceDateRidge (R)Singel (D)Luksik (C)
Greensburg Tribune-ReviewNov. 7, 1994**37%**36%17%
KDKA-TVNov. 6, 1994**42%**39%6%
Philadelphia Daily NewsNov. 2, 1994**38%**30%10%
Greensburg Tribune-ReviewOct. 30, 1994**33%**31%9%
KDKA-TVOct. 23, 199439%**40%**5%
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteOct. 16, 199431%**38%**7%
Political Media ResearchOct. 2, 199437%**43%**-

Results

Results by county

CountyTom Ridge
RepublicanMark Singel
DemocraticPeg Luksik
ConstitutionVarious Candidates
Other partiesMarginTotal votes cast#%#%#%#%#%Totals1,627,97645.40%1,430,09939.89%460,26912.84%67,1821.87%197,8775.51%3,585,526
Adams12,14652.99%6,97730.44%3,42814.96%3701.61%5,16922.55%22,921
Allegheny180,26040.33%193,45943.28%68,14115.25%5,0931.14%-13,199-2.95%446,953
Armstrong8,82140.52%7,94436.49%4,74221.78%2651.22%8774.03%21,772
Beaver20,20133.74%26,96545.04%11,70419.55%9991.67%-6,764-11.30%59,869
Bedford8,68955.94%4,58829.54%2,02713.05%2281.47%4,10126.40%15,532
Berks48,85752.91%30,74033.29%9,86310.68%2,8783.12%18,11719.62%92,338
Blair17,73451.54%9,83028.57%6,13617.83%7102.06%7,90422.97%34,410
Bradford10,53863.21%4,70028.19%9505.70%4842.90%5,83835.02%16,672
Bucks87,32752.51%55,18033.18%18,25610.98%5,5393.33%32,14719.33%166,302
Butler21,74644.68%13,51427.76%12,68426.06%7301.50%8,23216.92%48,674
Cambria13,94425.63%31,04357.05%8,76416.11%6631.22%-17,099-31.42%54,414
Cameron74837.08%55027.27%70635.00%130.64%422.08%2,017
Carbon7,55348.45%6,62642.61%1,0876.99%3031.95%9075.84%15,549
Centre17,08749.84%12,56936.66%4,02211.73%6071.77%4,51813.18%34,285
Chester61,89053.10%34,65229.73%17,33414.87%2,6852.30%27,23823.37%116,561
Clarion6,72453.05%4,02931.79%1,72113.58%2001.58%2,69521.26%12,674
Clearfield11,71348.32%8,43234.78%3,67315.15%4241.75%3,28113.54%24,242
Clinton4,89549.82%4,08441.56%7117.24%1361.38%8118.26%9,826
Columbia8,27450.17%5,98036.26%1,3508.19%8895.39%2,29413.91%16,493
Crawford19,50869.52%5,68920.27%2,6179.33%2470.88%13,81949.25%28,061
Cumberland32,90350.40%19,00329.11%12,16118.63%1,2201.87%13,90021.29%65,287
Dauphin34,68944.63%27,84435.82%13,86417.84%1,3371.72%6,8458.81%77,734
Delaware91,58949.56%64,06534.67%25,48413.79%3,6721.99%27,52414.89%184,810
Elk4,78443.31%3,22929.23%2,96126.81%720.65%1,55514.08%11,046
Erie65,18167.34%21,42222.13%9,5919.91%5980.62%43,75945.21%96,792
Fayette12,71031.76%22,49756.21%4,07510.18%7411.85%-9,787-24.45%40,023
Forest1,19763.07%48025.29%1618.48%603.16%71737.78%1,898
Franklin20,00160.08%10,01630.09%2,8778.64%3941.18%9,98529.99%33,288
Fulton2,31958.03%1,31632.93%2957.38%661.65%1,00325.10%3,996
Greene4,31436.92%6,16752.77%1,0478.96%1581.35%-1,853-15.85%11,686
Huntingdon6,53051.81%3,63628.85%1,57012.46%8676.88%2,89422.96%12,603
Indiana11,08743.99%10,36841.13%3,26312.95%4881.94%7192.86%25,206
Jefferson7,15152.93%4,06330.07%2,10215.56%1951.44%3,08822.86%13,511
Juniata3,54851.90%2,13331.20%91613.40%2393.50%1,41520.70%6,836
Lackawanna26,05337.00%36,01451.15%7,36710.46%9761.39%-9,961-14.15%70,410
Lancaster66,29554.75%27,37622.61%25,62421.16%1,7911.48%38,91932.14%121,086
Lawrence13,10242.83%13,35543.66%3,83912.55%2960.97%-253-0.83%30,592
Lebanon16,78051.53%9,32028.62%5,29916.27%1,1633.57%7,46022.91%32,562
Lehigh41,76753.82%27,97036.04%5,6677.30%2,1962.83%13,79717.78%77,600
Luzerne38,23341.29%43,78647.28%9,51910.28%1,0681.15%-5,553-5.99%92,606
Lycoming19,33460.42%9,13428.55%3,0689.59%4621.44%10,20031.87%31,998
McKean6,35954.67%2,92525.15%2,13318.34%2151.85%3,43429.52%11,632
Mercer19,61755.33%12,29434.67%3,2299.11%3170.89%7,32320.66%35,457
Mifflin6,14053.47%4,06835.42%1,0619.24%2151.87%2,07218.05%11,484
Monroe14,40954.09%10,13738.05%1,4255.35%6682.51%4,27216.04%26,639
Montgomery110,31948.14%85,07737.13%28,10812.27%5,6462.46%25,24211.01%229,150
Montour2,80955.68%1,64032.51%4599.10%1372.72%1,16923.17%5,405
Northampton33,70450.47%26,64139.90%3,9665.94%2,4663.69%7,06310.57%66,777
Northumberland12,78546.35%10,63338.55%3,38212.26%7832.84%2,1527.80%27,583
Perry5,52244.82%3,09425.11%3,41127.69%2932.38%2,11119.71%12,320
Philadelphia100,59224.87%270,38066.86%27,5286.81%5,8971.46%-169,788-41.99%404,397
Pike5,58362.34%2,90732.46%3604.02%1061.18%2,67629.88%8,956
Potter3,43464.07%1,37725.69%4668.69%831.55%2,05738.38%5,360
Schuylkill24,71449.25%19,14838.16%5,25410.47%1,0642.12%5,56611.09%50,180
Snyder6,00762.80%2,33224.38%8128.49%4154.34%3,67538.42%9,566
Somerset11,72443.56%11,38342.29%3,52413.09%2841.06%3411.27%26,915
Sullivan1,48060.11%78731.97%1516.13%441.79%69328.14%2,462
Susquehanna7,49958.39%3,97330.93%1,0418.10%3312.58%3,52627.46%12,844
Tioga7,93965.89%3,41728.36%5514.57%1421.18%4,52237.53%12,049
Union5,53960.89%2,44526.88%8088.88%3053.35%3,09434.01%9,097
Venango10,68261.60%4,79627.66%1,6209.34%2441.41%5,88633.94%17,342
Warren9,19462.46%3,64324.75%1,65211.22%2311.57%5,55137.71%14,720
Washington25,85239.21%30,85646.80%8,32712.63%8971.36%-5,004-7.59%65,932
Wayne7,43060.38%3,86231.38%8156.62%1991.62%3,56829.00%12,306
Westmoreland46,08938.92%48,04540.58%21,58618.23%2,6882.27%-1,956-1.66%118,408
Wyoming5,07459.56%2,48129.12%8079.47%1571.84%2,59330.44%8,519
York49,27849.65%31,01331.25%17,12717.26%1,8331.85%18,26518.40%99,251

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

  • Adams
  • Armstrong
  • Schuylkill
  • Bucks
  • Berks
  • Bedford
  • Blair
  • Bradford
  • Butler
  • Cameron
  • Chester
  • Centre
  • Clarion
  • Columbia
  • Crawford
  • Delaware
  • Cumberland
  • Dauphin
  • Forest
  • Franklin
  • Fulton
  • Huntingdon
  • Jefferson
  • Juniata
  • Indiana
  • Lancaster
  • Lehigh
  • Mifflin
  • Montour
  • Somerset
  • Sullivan
  • York
  • Clinton
  • Clearfield
  • Mercer
  • Lycoming
  • McKean
  • Monroe
  • Northumberland
  • Perry
  • Pike
  • Potter
  • Susquehanna
  • Tioga
  • Venango
  • Wyoming
  • Warren
  • Carbon
  • Elk
  • Erie
  • Northampton
  • Lebanon
  • Snyder
  • Union
  • Wayne

References

References

  1. "Our Campaigns - PA Governor - D Primary Race - May 10, 1994".
  2. "Our Campaigns - PA Governor - R Primary Race - May 10, 1994".
  3. Kennedy, John J.. (2006). "Pennsylvania Elections: Statewide Contests From 1950-2004". University Press of America.
  4. ''The Pennsylvania Manual'', volume 112, pp. 7-18 & 7-19
  5. "Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Election Returns 1994". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project.
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