1980 Pennsylvania State Treasurer election

1980 Pennsylvania Treasurer election

←  1976 November 4, 1980 1984 →

Nominee R. Budd Dwyer Robert E. Casey Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,055,199 2,003,126 Percentage 49.43% 48.18%

County results Dwyer:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Casey:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

Treasurer before election Robert E. Casey Democratic Elected Treasurer R. Budd Dwyer Republican

The Pennsylvania State Treasurer election was held on November 4, 1980. Democratic incumbent Robert E. Casey lost re-election to Republican candidate R. Budd Dwyer by a margin of 1.25%. ^{[1] [2] [3]} Casey had won election to the office in 1976 due in large part to his similar name to Robert P. Casey. ^{[4] [5] [6]} In 1980, Dwyer's supporters chanted, "Casey's not Casey" to remind voters his opponent was not Robert P. Casey. ^[7] A reporting error in Lebanon County by the Associated Press led many to incorrectly believe Casey had defeated Dwyer until it was later corrected. ^[3]

Democratic nomination

Incumbent Robert E. Casey won re-nomination. ^{[1] [8]} He received the endorsement of the Democratic state committee and defeated a single primary challenger, Olga O. Woodward. ^[6]

Republican nomination

The Republican Party nominated State Senator R. Budd Dwyer. ^{[7] [9]}

General election

1980 Pennsylvania State Treasurer election ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	R. Budd Dwyer	2,055,199	49.43%
	Democratic	Robert E. Casey	2,003,126	48.18%
	Consumer Party	Thelma R. Hambright	43,801	1.05%
	Libertarian	Frank W. Bubb III	31,573	0.76%
	Socialist Workers	Tory A. Dunn	23,879	0.57%
Total votes			4,157,578	100.0
	Republican gain from Democratic

References

1. "Our Campaigns - PA Treasurer Race - Nov 04, 1980". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
2. "Colorful former official dies at 74". Newspapers.com. February 13, 1981. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
3. "Error Kept Dwyer in Doubt for Hours". Newspapers.com. November 6, 1980. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
4. "Robert E. Casey: Race Was Bar Room Idea". Newspapers.com. May 3, 1976. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
5. "What's In a Name? Enough to Swing an Election". Newspapers.com. May 2, 1976. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
6. "State Treasurer Robert E. Casey Running on His Own Record This Time". Newspapers.com. March 20, 1980. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
7. Hardaway, Roger (November 1, 2024). "A political tragedy, part 3". Alva Review-Courier. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
8. Random, Roderick (July 12, 2019). "RODERICK RANDOM: Can't know your Caseys without scorecard". Scranton Times-Tribune. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
9. Report, Morning Call | Staff (January 10, 1984). "STATE TREASURER TO SEEK RE-ELECTION". The Morning Call. Retrieved November 27, 2024.