1974 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election
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 County results Shapp: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Lewis: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Pennsylvania |
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 Government |
The 1974 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 5. Incumbent Democratic Governor Milton Shapp defeated Republican Drew Lewis. Under the state's 1968 constitution, Shapp was the first governor who was eligible to run for consecutive terms.
Primary elections
Incumbent Governor Shapp easily dispelled a spirited challenge from Martin Mullen, a state representative from Philadelphia who was well known as a firebrand conservative opponent of abortion and pornography. With a short Republican bench, wealthy staffing executive Drew Lewis was the only serious contender in the race.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Milton Shapp (Incumbent) | 729,201 | 70.41 | |
| Democratic | Martin Mullen | 199,613 | 19.27 | |
| Democratic | Harvey Johnston | 106,474 | 10.28 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Drew Lewis | 534,637 | 76.67 | |
| Republican | Alvin Jacobson | 97,072 | 13.91 | |
| Republican | Leonard Strunk | 63,868 | 9.15 | |
Major Party Candidates
Democratic
- Milton Shapp, incumbent Governor
- running mate: Ernie Kline, incumbent Lieutenant Governor
Republican
- Drew Lewis, CEO of the staffing company Snelling & Snelling
- running mate: Ken Lee, Speaker of the State House of Representatives
Campaign
Shapp's popularity had waned somewhat since his comfortable victory in 1970; although he could claim to have saved the state from bankruptcy, he did so at the expense of large tax increases. Furthermore, Shapp, an unabashed liberal, had difficulty rekindling support from the state's rural, socially conservative regions. However, Shapp and Democrats as a whole received a significant boost from the Watergate scandal; with President Richard Nixon's popularity in a tailspin, many of the top tier Republicans declined to run. Instead, the party turned to the wealthy businessman Lewis, who was able to project an "outsider" image. Lewis focused on local issues and greatly undercut Shapp in rural areas; despite lagging at the polls in traditional Democratic strongholds such as Pittsburgh and Scranton, Shapp preserved a moderate victory by winning the combined vote of suburban Philadelphia, an unexpected accomplishment for a Democrat at the time.[3]
Results
| Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1974[4][5] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Democratic | Milton Shapp (Incumbent) | Ernie Kline (Incumbent) | 1,878,252 | 53.66% | |
| Republican | Drew Lewis | Ken Lee | 1,578,917 | 45.11% | |
| Constitutional | Stephen Depue | Ellis Werft | 33,691 | 0.96% | |
| Socialist Workers | Roberta Scherr[a] | Fred Stanton | 8,980 | 0.26% | |
| Write-ins | Write-in | 374 | 0.01% | ||
| Totals | 3,500,214 | 100.00% | |||
| Voter turnout (Voting age population) | 63.31% | ||||
Notes
References
- ^ "Our Campaigns - PA Governor- D Primary Race - May 21, 1974".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - PA Governor- R Primary Race - May 21, 1974".
- ^ Kennedy, John J. (2006). Pennsylvania Elections: Statewide Contests From 1950-2004. University Press of America. ISBN 9780761832799.
- ^ The Pennsylvania Manual, p. 626.
- ^ The Pennsylvania Manual, p. 625.
- ^ Ostrosky, Steve (November 1, 1974). "Will Shapp deny Lewis". The Daily Collegian. Pennsylvania State University.
Sources
- Roche, Kathleen M, ed. (1975). The Pennsylvania Manual. Vol. 102. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of General Services.
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