The 1986 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986.

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Bob Casey narrowly defeated

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Bill Scranton III William Worthington Scranton III (born July 20, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 26th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987 in the administration of Governor Richard Thornburgh. He is the son of the late Pennsylv ...

, 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 2022, this is the most recent Pennsylvania gubernatorial race to have a margin within five points.

Republican primary

Lt. Governor

ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Democratic primary

Candidates

* Bob Casey, former Auditor General of Pennsylvania *

Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philad ...

, 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.

Results

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

General election

Candidates

* Bob Casey, former Auditor General (Democratic) **running mate:

Mark Singel Mark Stephen Singel (born September 12, 1953) is an American politician who served as the 27th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995, alongside Governor Bob Casey. Singel served as the state's acting governor from June 14, 1993 t ...

, State Senator from Johnstown *Heidi Hoover (Consumer) **running mate: John Brickhouse *

, Lieutenant Governor (Republican) **running mate: Mike Fisher, State Senator from Upper St. Clair

Campaign

Casey, a moderate with strong labor ties and anti-abortion viewpoints, 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. 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. One of these many negative ads helped sway the election. Then-unknown political consultant

James Carville Chester James Carville Jr. (born October 25, 1944) is an American political consultant, author, and occasional actor who has strategized for candidates for public office in the United States and in at least 23 nations abroad. A Democrat, he is a ...

commissioned commercials that emphasized Scranton's use of recreational drugs as a college student and his open practice of

transcendental meditation Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a form of silent mantra meditation advocated by the Transcendental Meditation movement. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi created the technique in India in the mid-1950s. Advocates of TM claim that the technique promotes ...

; as a result, Casey appeared as the more socially conservative candidate, which helped him to garner a surprisingly high vote total in rural regions of the state.

Results

Notes

References

* {{cite book , editor-last=Doukas , editor-first=Ozzie , year=1987 , title=

The Pennsylvania Manual ''The Pennsylvania Manual'' is a biennial guide to the Government of Pennsylvania produced by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services The Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) is an agency of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania ...

, volume=108 , location=Harrisburg , publisher=

Pennsylvania Department of General Services The Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) is an agency of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that supports the core operations of Pennsylvania state government. DGS builds all non-highway Capital projects, procures nearly $4 billion of ...

, isbn=0-8182-0097-9

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

Gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...