Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1998

Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1998

November 3, 1998 (1998-11-03)

Candidate Tom Ridge Ivan Itkin Peg Luksik Party Republican Democratic Constitution Running mate Mark Schweiker Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky Jim Clymer Popular vote 1,736,844 938,745 315,761 Percentage 57.4% 31.0% 10.4%

County results

Governor before election Tom Ridge Republican Elected Governor Tom Ridge Republican

The Pennsylvania Gubernatorial election of 1998 was held on November 3, 1998. It was between incumbent Republican Tom Ridge and Democrat Ivan Itkin. Ridge, a popular moderate, won with 57% of the votes cast.

Primary Elections

Incumbent Governor Ridge ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. State Representative Ivan Itkin from Pittsburgh bested former Auditor General and US Representative Don Bailey from Greensburg and private detective and anti-corruption activist Bill Keisling from York. Itkin, although well not well known in the state, was a powerful figure in the legislature and had the backing of the party establishment, while the conservative Bailey drew strong union support.

Pennsylvania gubernatorial Democratic primary, 1998
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ivan Itkin	255,555	49.17
	Democratic	Don Bailey	200,451	38.57
	Democratic	Bill Keisling	63,696	12.26

Major party candidates

Democratic

• Ivan Itkin, State Representative
  • Runningmate: Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, former US Congresswoman

Republican

• Tom Ridge, incumbent Governor
  • Runningmate: Mark Schweiker, incumbent Lieutenant Governor

Minor party candidates

Constitution

• Peg Luksik, director of a pro-life organization

Runningmate: Jim Clymer, attorney

Libertarian

• Ken Krawchuk, technology consultant

Running mate: Henry Haller, attorney

Campaign

During this election cycle, Democrats struggled with fundraising issues and had difficulty recruiting a top tier candidate. Itkin, who had little name recognition statewide, was considered to be a sacrificial lamb. Peg Luksik, who was well known as an outspoken opponent of abortion, ran as a strong third party contender for the second consecutive election cycle; she emphasized the pro-choice stances of both candidates and drew votes in the state's rural, conservative center. However, Ridge's victory was never in doubt, as he ran on a generally positive record from his prior term and a combination of traditional Republican strategies (such as his "tough on crime" image) combined with his ability to somewhat undercut Democratic support (such as through his labor ties).

Results

Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1998
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Ridge Runningmate: Mark Schweiker	1,736,844	57.42
	Democratic	Ivan Itkin Runningmate: Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky	938,745	31.03
	Constitution	Peg Luksik Runningmate: Jim Clymer	315,761	10.43
	Libertarian	Ken Krawchuk Runningmate: Henry Haller	33,591	1.11
	Write-in	—	281	0.01
Total votes			3,025,022	100.00
Voter turnout			41.67%

References

Sources