1982 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1982 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election Pennsylvania presidential 1982 11 2 no 1978 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election 1978 1986 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election 1986 145x145px Governor Richard Thornburgh shakes hands with Sergeant Kenneth Kraus (cropped).jpg Dick Thornburgh Bill Scranton III Republican Party (United States) 1,872,784 50.84% File:Allen Ertel.png Allen Ertel James Lloyd Democratic Party (United States) 1,772,353 48.11% 1982 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 260px County results Thornburgh: #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% Ertel: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% Governor Dick Thornburgh Republican Party (United States) Dick Thornburgh Republican Party (United States) The 1982 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, between incumbent Republican Dick Thornburgh and Democratic U.S. Congressman Allen E. Ertel. Thornburgh was a popular incumbent, who largely was the favorite throughout the race. However, owing to a nationwide recession which hit the state particularly hard, and a backlash to Reaganomics, the final result ended up becoming much closer than what was initially anticipated.Robbins William 1982-11-04 G.O.P. SHAKEN IN PENNSYLVANIA en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/04/us/gop-shaken-in-pennsylvania.html 2023-06-14 0362-4331 As of 2026, this is the most recent election where a Republican was elected governor in Pennsylvania while a Republican was also president. Republican primary Incumbent Governor Dick Thornburgh ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Democratic primary Candidates Steve Douglas, Philadelphia political consultant Allen Ertel, U.S. representative from Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district (1977–present), from Williamsport Eugene Knox, Northumberland County dentist Earl McDowell, Fayette County businessman Results thumb|Democratic primary results #7996E2 Ertel #BDD3FF 30%–40% #A5B0FF 40%–50% #7996E2 50%–60% #6674DE 60%–70% #584CDE 70%–80% #3933E5 80%–90% #0D0596 90%–100% #51C2C2 McDowell #7DDDDD 40%–50% |center Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1986Our Campaigns - PA Governor - D Primary Race - May 18, 1982 Democratic Party (United States) Allen Ertel 436,251 57.64 Democratic Party (United States) Steve Douglas 143,762 19.00 Democratic Party (United States) Earl McDowell 116,880 15.44 Democratic Party (United States) Eugene Knox 59,925 7.92 756,818 100.00 General election Campaign Thornburgh, who maintained high approval ratings during his first term, was initially considered a shoo-in for reelection. As other governors struggled amidst a nationwide Democratic election cycle, Thornburgh maintained high approval ratings, in part due to his response to crises such as the Three Mile Island accident.Broder David S. 1982-10-06 THE 1982 ELECTIONS: PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR'S RACE en-US Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/10/06/the-1982-elections-pennsylvania-governors-race/bb35c8c2-6e9e-4d8d-9081-0cf57ffa655a/ 2023-06-14 0190-8286 Furthermore, the Democrats' top candidate, Philadelphia District Attorney (and future governor) Ed Rendell, declined to seek the nomination leaving U.S. Congressman Allen Ertel as the party's standard bearer. Ertel struggled early with fundraising and, because of his residence in heavily Republican Central Pennsylvania, lacked a base among the state's strongest Democratic constituents: urban voters and organized labor.Kennedy John J. https://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&q=1998+ridge+itkin Pennsylvania Elections: Statewide Contests from 1950-2004 2006 University Press of America 978-0-7618-3279-9 111 en However, a serious recession affected the nation, and was particularly felt in the state. One of the hardest hit regions was then traditionally Democratic western Pennsylvania, which saw counties with unemployment rates as high as 20%.Robbins William 1982-10-06 KEY PENNSYLVANIA RACE DOMINATED BY OPTIMISM; The 1982 Election: Pennsylvania Fourth of 10 articles appearing periodically on states with important gubernatorial races. en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/06/us/key-pennsylvania-race-dominated-optimism-1982-election-pennsylvania-fourth-10.html 2023-06-14 0362-4331 Ertel campaigned hard against the economic policies of President Ronald Reagan, and against Thornburgh's cold disposition towards those affected by the economic downturn; Thornburgh was forced to distance himself from Reagan as support for Reaganomics waned.Kennedy John J. https://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&q=1998+ridge+itkin Pennsylvania Elections: Statewide Contests from 1950-2004 2006 University Press of America 978-0-7618-3279-9 109 en The state's political environment strongly favored Ertel not only because of national issues, but because the governmental cuts undertaken by Thornburgh during his term as governor had caused him to lose the support of several traditionally Democratic-leaning organizations that had once stood by his side, such as the NAACP and the state's teachers' union. Furthermore, Thornburgh had hurt his standing among African American leaders, as a result of the cuts he had made, which hit the state's Black population hardest.Lamis Renee The Realignment of Pennsylvania Politics Since 1960: Two-Party Competition in a Battleground State Penn State University Press 2009 978-0-271-08577-7 1st University Park Press 112 English However, Ertel ran a relatively mediocre campaign and hurt his chances with several gaffes, such as accusing the governor of exploiting his disabled son's condition for political gain, and most significantly, refusing to release the previous 7 years his income taxes to avoid being "whipsawed" by charities.Kennedy John J. https://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&q=1998+ridge+itkin Pennsylvania Elections: Statewide Contests from 1950-2004 2006 University Press of America 978-0-7618-3279-9 110 en For his part, Thornburgh tried to ignore Ertel to avoid granting his campaign legitimacy, and mostly focused on his record for the previous 4 years.Kennedy John J. https://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&q=1998+ridge+itkin Pennsylvania Elections: Statewide Contests from 1950-2004 2006 University Press of America 978-0-7618-3279-9 109 en In spite of the Democratic opponent, Thornburgh generally polled ahead by significant margins throughout the campaignBroder David S. 1982-10-06 THE 1982 ELECTIONS: PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR'S RACE en-US Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/10/06/the-1982-elections-pennsylvania-governors-race/bb35c8c2-6e9e-4d8d-9081-0cf57ffa655a/ 2023-06-14 0190-8286 Results In the end, Thornburgh won in his bid for a second term, but by a much closer margin than pundits had predicted. He underperformed Senator John Heinz on the same ballot by a margin of 9 points. Thornburgh also saw his performance with African American voters fall from 50% in 1978 to just 18% this time around and performed much worse in Philadelphia, though he improved in the suburbs. Ertel, being from Central Pennsylvania managed to perform quite well for a Democrat in the area, keeping the margins close, while also flipping counties that Thornburgh won 4 years prior. However, Ertel's strength in the region was not enough to counter Thornburgh's strength in the Lehigh Valley and in Western Pennsylvania, where Thornburgh improved his margin in comparison to his previous performance against former Mayor of Pittsburgh Pete Flaherty. Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1982The Pennsylvania Manual, p. 598.The Pennsylvania Manual, p. 597.PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentage Republican Dick Thornburgh (incumbent) Bill Scranton III (incumbent) 1,872,784 50.84% Democratic Allen Ertel James Lloyd 1,772,353 48.11% Socialist Workers Mark Zola Wilson Osteen, Jr. 15,495 0.42% Consumer Lee Frissell Judith Faulkner 13,101 0.36% Libertarian Richard Fuerle David Walter 10,252 0.28% Totals 3,683,985 100.00% Voter turnout (Voting age population) 64.60% Notes References Ackley Gayle Avery Kris 1983 The Pennsylvania Manual 106 Harrisburg Pennsylvania Department of General Services 0-8182-0029-4 1982 Gubernatorial Pennsylvania