1986 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election
November 4, 1986 (1986-11-04)
 
Nominee Bob Casey Bill Scranton III
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Mark Singel Mike Fisher
Popular vote 1,717,484 1,638,268
Percentage 50.7% 48.4%
County results Casey:      50–60%      60–70%
Scranton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Governor before election

Dick Thornburgh
Republican

 Elected Governor

Robert P. Casey
Democratic

The 1986 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986. Democrat Bob Casey narrowly defeated Republican Bill Scranton III, in a race that featured two very high-profile candidates. The race was a rematch of the lieutenant gubernatorial nominees in 1978, a race where Scranton defeated Casey. As of 2023, this is the most recent Pennsylvania gubernatorial race to have a margin within five points for either party.

Republican primary

Lt. Governor Bill Scranton III ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Bob Casey, former Auditor General of Pennsylvania
  • Ed Rendell, District Attorney of Philadelphia

The affable Casey had a reformist but conservative track record that made him popular in rural areas and unionized towns, while Rendell had a strong urban base. Rendell would later be elected Governor in 2002.

Results

After being defeated in the Democratic primary for governor on three prior occasions, Casey finally won his party's nod.

1986 Democratic gubernatorial primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Casey 549,376 56.45%
Democratic Ed Rendell 385,539 39.62%
Democratic Steve Douglas 38,295 3.94%
Total votes 973,210 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Campaign

Casey, a moderate with strong labor ties and anti-abortion viewpoints informed by his Catholicism, was often to the right of his Republican opponent on social issues; Scranton, whose father was a leading moderate, was pro-choice and attempted to connect with the fiscally conservative but socially progressive suburban voter.[2]

The race featured back-and-forth polling in the months preceding the election, with the public demonstrating generally positive views toward both figures, but growing weary of their negative campaigning that dominated the contest. Late in the campaign, then-unknown political consultant James Carville commissioned what became known as "the guru ad" for Casey. Aired mainly in rural areas, the ad emphasized Scranton's wealthy family background, use of recreational drugs as a college student, and open practice of and advocacy for transcendental meditation (with the image of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi accompanied by "Indian"-sounding music); as a result, Casey appeared as the more socially conservative and less corrupt candidate, which helped him to a strong performance for a Democrat in traditionally Republican areas of Central Pennsylvania.[3]

Results

1986 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Casey 1,717,484 50.69%
Republican Bill Scranton III 1,638,268 48.35%
Consumer Heidi Hoover 33,523 0.96%
Total votes 3,388,275 100.00%

Notes

  1. ↑ "Our Campaigns - PA Governor - D Primary Race - May 20, 1986". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  2. ↑ Kennedy, John J. (2006). Pennsylvania Elections: Statewide Contests From 1950-2004. University Press of America. ISBN 9780761832799.
  3. ↑ Ferrick, Tom (February 10, 2008). "Recalling the Maharishi and Carville's Killer Ad". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  4. ↑ The Pennsylvania Manual, p. 671.
  5. ↑ The Pennsylvania Manual, p. 633.

References

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