| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
County results | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
The 1988 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III successfully sought re-election to another term, defeating Democratic nominee Joe Vignola.
Joseph C. "Joe" Vignola, Sr. is a Democratic politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Joe Vignola was not expected by Democratic Party leaders to have a substantial chance at defeating the popular incumbent John Heinz, even predicting that Vignola would become "Heinz's 58th variety," [1] referring to an advertising slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company. Heinz, knowing this, ran a low-profile re-election campaign and was safely ahead in polling. Vignola traveled across Pennsylvania promoting an increase in domestic spending, including education and healthcare, while decreasing the defense budget to compensate. Vignola ran a positive campaign, in contrast with Cyril Wecht six years previously, although many Democratic ward leaders and committee members had given up on the campaign and had stopped campaigning for Vignola. [1]
Heinz 57 is a synecdoche of the historical advertising slogan "57 Varieties of Pickles" by the H. J. Heinz Company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has come to mean anything that is made from a large number of parts or origins. It was developed from the marketing campaign that told consumers about the numerous pickle products available from the Heinz company.
Cyril Harrison Wecht is an American forensic pathologist. He has been a consultant in numerous high-profile cases, but is perhaps best known for his criticism of the Warren Commission's findings concerning the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Heinz easily defeated Vignola to win the election and another term in the Senate, carrying every Pennsylvania county except Philadelphia, Vignola's home town, and by a comfortable 1.49 million vote margin. Heinz performed well in suburban areas, as well as the central, southwestern and northeastern portions of the state. Outside of Philadelphia, Vignola's best county-wide showing was in Mercer County, where he won 36% of the vote, and his poorest county-wide performance was in Snyder County, where he won 12% of the vote. Although Heinz's landslide victory was largely expected among Democratic leaders, Heinz won by a wide margin despite the Democrats' 551,000-voter registration advantage statewide. [1]
Philadelphia, sometimes known colloquially as Philly, is the largest city in the U.S. state and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the sixth-most populous U.S. city, with a 2017 census-estimated population of 1,580,863. Since 1854, the city has been coterminous with Philadelphia County, the most populous county in Pennsylvania and the urban core of the eighth-largest U.S. metropolitan statistical area, with over 6 million residents as of 2017. Philadelphia is also the economic and cultural anchor of the greater Delaware Valley, located along the lower Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, within the Northeast megalopolis. The Delaware Valley's population of 7.2 million ranks it as the eighth-largest combined statistical area in the United States.
Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,638. Its county seat is Mercer, and its largest city is Hermitage. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1803.
Snyder County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,702. The county seat is Middleburg. Snyder County was formed in 1855 from parts of Union County.
Heinz died in an airplane crash on April 4, 1991, in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. [2] Democrat Harris Wofford was appointed on May 8 to fill the vacancy caused by Heinz's death, and subsequently won a special election in November 1991. In the 1994 election, however, Wofford was defeated by Republican Rick Santorum. [3] [4]
Harris Llewellyn Wofford Jr. was an American attorney, civil rights activist, and Democratic Party politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1991 to 1995. A noted advocate of national service and volunteering, Wofford was also the fifth president of Bryn Mawr College from 1970 to 1978, served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party in 1986 and as Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry in the cabinet of Governor Robert P. Casey from 1987 to 1991, and was a surrogate for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. He introduced Obama in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center before Obama's speech on race in America, "A More Perfect Union".
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | H. John Heinz III (Incumbent) | 2,901,715 | 66.45% | +7.17% | |
| Democratic | Joseph Vignola | 1,416,764 | 32.45% | -6.75% | |
| Consumer | Darcy Richardson | 25,273 | 0.58% | +0.12% | |
| Libertarian | Henry E. Haller II | 11,822 | 0.27% | -0.26% | |
| Populist | Samuel Cross | 6,455 | 0.15% | +0.15% | |
| New Alliance | Sam Blancato | 4,569 | 0.11% | +0.11% | |
| Majority | 1,484,951 | 34.00% | +13.92% | ||
| Totals | 4,366,598 | 100.00% | |||
Joseph Merrill Hoeffel III is an American author and politician. A Democrat, Hoeffel was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005, representing Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district. He also served multiple terms on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, and from 1977–84, was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. A native of Philadelphia, he is a graduate of Boston University and Temple University School of Law.
The 1994 United States Senate elections were elections held November 8, 1994, in which the Republican Party was able to take control of the Senate from the Democrats. In a midterm election, the opposition Republicans held the traditional advantage. Congressional Republicans campaigned against the early presidency of Bill Clinton, including his unsuccessful health care plan.
The 1988 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate in which, in spite of the Republican victory by George H. W. Bush in the presidential election, the Democrats gained a net of one seat in the Senate. Seven seats changed parties, with four incumbents being defeated. The Democratic majority in the Senate increased by one from 54/46 to 55/45.
The 1982 United States Senate elections were held on November 2, 1982. They were elections for the United States Senate following Republican gains in 1980. A total of four seats changed hands between parties, and the lone independent, Senator Harry Byrd Jr., retired. Democrats made a net gain of one seat in the elections. A special election in 1983 was then held after the winner of Washington's 1982 election died at the beginning of the term.
The 1976 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate that coincided with Democratic Jimmy Carter's presidential election and the United States Bicentennial celebration. Although almost half of the seats decided in this election changed parties, Carter's narrow victory did not provide coattails for the Democrats, and the balance of the chamber remained the same.
William Joseph Green III is an American politician from Pennsylvania. A Democrat, Green served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1964 to 1977 and as the 94th Mayor of Philadelphia from 1980 to 1984.
Allyson Young Schwartz is a former member of the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district, serving from 2005–2015. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district included parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia. She was also National Chair for Recruitment and Candidate Services for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In the 2014 election, Schwartz was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Pennsylvania, but was defeated in the primary.
The 2006 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Rick Santorum ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by Bob Casey, Jr., the son of Former Pennsylvania governor Bob Casey Sr. Casey was elected to serve between January 3, 2007 and January 3, 2013. Santorum trailed Casey in every public poll taken during the campaign. Casey's margin of victory was the largest ever for a Democratic Senate nominee in Pennsylvania, and the largest margin of victory for a Senate challenger in the 2006 elections. When Casey took office two months later, he became the first Democrat sworn in for a full term in the Senate from Pennsylvania since Joseph S. Clark Jr. won a second term in 1962.
The Republican Party of Pennsylvania, commonly known as the PA GOP, is based in Harrisburg in the United States state of Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with the Republican Party of the United States.
Peter Houston Kostmayer is a Democratic politician who served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
The 1991 United States Senate Special election in Pennsylvania was held on November 5, 1991. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Harris Wofford won the special election that was held because of the death of Republican Senator John Heinz on April 4 of that year. Wofford was appointed by Governor Bob Casey to serve as Senator until the special election which he subsequently won. Major-party candidates for this election were chosen by party committees, as the vacancy had happened too late for a primary to be held.
The 2000 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 7, 2000. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Rick Santorum won re-election to a second term. As of 2019, this is the last time the Republicans have won the Class 1 Senate Seat from Pennsylvania.
The 1994 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held November 8, 1994. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Harris Wofford, who was recently appointed to the position in 1991, decided to seek re-election to a full six-year term, but was defeated by Republican Rick Santorum.
Jonathan A. Saidel is a politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a former Philadelphia city controller.
The 1980 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Richard Schweiker decided to retire, instead of seeking a third term. Republican nominee Arlen Specter won the open seat, defeating Democratic nominee Peter F. Flaherty.
The 2012 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 6, 2012, alongside a presidential election, other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Casey, Jr. ran for and won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican nominee Tom Smith, and Libertarian nominee Rayburn Smith.
The 1976 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator and Minority Leader Hugh Scott decided to retire. Republican John Heinz won the open seat.
The 1934 United States Senate election in Missouri was held on November 6, 1934. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Roscoe Patterson, first elected in 1928, sought reelection to a second term. He was defeated by the Democratic nominee, future President of the United States Harry Truman.
The 1982 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III successfully sought re-election to another term, defeating Democratic nominee Cyril Wecht.
