1986 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

none March 2026 September 2023 1986 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania presidential no 1980 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania 1980 1992 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania 1992 November 4, 1986 140x140px Arlen Specter 1960.jpg Arlen Specter Republican Party (United States) 1,906,537 56.44% Robert W. Edgar.jpg Bob Edgar Democratic Party (United States) 1,448,219 42.87% 1986 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania results map by county.svg 260px County results Specter: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% Edgar: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% U.S. Senator Arlen Specter Republican Party (United States) Arlen Specter Republican Party (United States) The 1986 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 4, 1986. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Arlen Specter won re-election to a second term. As of 2024, this is the most recent time that the state voted for different parties for Senate and Governor in the same election. Republican primary Candidates Arlen Specter, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1981 Richard A. Stokes, high school social studies teacherPennsylvania Rep. Edgar Wins Senate Primary 21 May 1986 Dickenson James R. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/05/21/pennsylvania-rep-edgar-wins-senate-primary/e9aa2b00-11c1-4946-81b7-c65e59aa44c4/ 29 June 2022 Results Specter defeated Stokes by a 3-to-1 margin. Democratic primary Candidates Donald A. Bailey, Pennsylvania State Auditor Robert W. Edgar, U.S. Representative from Broomall George H.R. Elder, Lyndon LaRouche supporter Cyril E. Sagan, Slippery Rock State University professor Results Edgar narrowly defeated Bailey with Elder and Sagan each receiving less than six percent. General election Candidates Bob Edgar, U.S. Representative from Broomall (Democratic) Lance S. Haver (Consumer) Arlen Specter, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1981 (Republican) Campaign section August 2016Despite the popularity of his Republican counterpart John Heinz, Arlen Specter was viewed somewhat tepidly by the Pennsylvania electorate entering the race, although both men shared similar moderate profiles. Additionally, economic woes had dragged down the popularity of Republican candidates in the industrial states. Democrats sensed the vulnerability of the incumbent, and two men with similar experience in the U.S. House, but contrasting political views, vied for the nomination. Don Bailey, the state's incumbent Auditor General, projected a strong blue-collar image and had moderate positions that were often relatively close to Specter's. Bob Edgar, a Methodist minister and sitting Congressman, had more liberal viewpoints, as he was connected with the Vietnam War-era peace movement and the anti-corruption movement following the Watergate scandals. However, issues played a very minor role in the primary, which instead showcased the state's geographical divide, with Delaware County-based Edgar narrowly defeating Westmoreland County-based Bailey.Kennedy John J. Pennsylvania Elections: Statewide Contests from 1950-2004 2006 United Press of America 9780761832799 65–67 https://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&q=specter+edgar&pg=PA66 True to his past as a political organizer, Edgar developed a strong grassroots campaign and reached out to alienated left-leaning voters. He attacked Specter as a politician who compromised his moderate political positions when pressured by the conservative administration of Ronald Reagan. Edgar, who had a history of winning tight races in a traditionally Rockefeller Republican congressional district, was a financial underdog, as Specter was able to raise nearly three times as much for his campaign warchest. Originally attempting a positive campaign, Specter changed his strategy in response to Edgar's personal attacks and characterized Edgar as soft on defense issues and as a liberal ideologue. Edgar was never able to find a message that resonated with voters in the western portion of the state, and Specter undercut Edgar's support in his suburban Philadelphia heartland by presenting himself as representative of the views of the average suburban voter. Results General election resultsStatistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 1986 http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1986election.pdf Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House July 8, 2014 Republican Party (United States) Arlen Specter (incumbent) 1,906,537 56.44% Democratic Party (United States) Robert W. Edgar 1,448,219 42.87% Citizens Party (United States) Lance S. Haver 23,470 0.69% Republican Party (United States) See also 1986 United States Senate elections References Pennsylvania 1986 Category:1986 Pennsylvania elections