Santorum/Wofford - 1994 U.S. Senate Race ( here is part of report)
November 1999
By: Dr. G. Terry Madonna and Mr. Berwood Yost
Center for Politics & Public Affairs
Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Overview
Following the tragic death of U.S. Senator John Heinz in the spring of 1991, Governor Robert Casey appointed Harris Wofford, his Secretary of Labor and Industry, interim Senator. An election was held in November 1991 to select a person to complete Heinz's term, which expired in January 1995. Democrat Wofford stunned the political community by decisively defeating former Republican Governor Dick Thornburgh, who had resigned as U.S. Attorney General to seek the Senate seat. Wofford's victory was the first time a Democrat had won a U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania since 1962. The Wofford race drew national attention, and his campaign emphasis on economic growth and health care reform, cast in a framework of "fundamental" change, was a harbinger of the Bill Clinton campaign for president in 1992.
Wofford's short incumbency became the crucial factor in his reelection. Early polls showed Wofford was vulnerable: He was not well known among the state's voters, nor was he very popular with those who knew him. In February 1994, only one-fourth of the state's registered voters thought he was performing well as U.S. Senator, while over half rated his performance as fair or poor. Nearly half of all voters thought it was time for a change
A second key consideration was President Clinton's unpopularity in Pennsylvania. According to the October 1994 Keystone Poll he was viewed favorably by only three in ten Pennsylvania voters. Clinton's unpopularity in Pennsylvania, a quintessentially old-Democratic coalition state and a state he carried by nine points in 1992, was a surprise. Democratic leaders were properly concerned that under these circumstances their voters' enthusiasm might be minimal, ultimately keeping them at home on election day.
Some Democratic candidates in other states had pulled away from Clinton: Some criticized him, but not Wofford. In fact, Wofford had made Clinton's short list as a possible vice presidential running mate, and the two were ideologically and personally close. Both Wofford and Clinton were champions of a massive overhaul of the nation's health care system. Moreover, Wofford maintained a high level of support for President Clinton's legislative agenda, voting 87 percent of the time in 1993 with the President.
The Candidates
Harris Wofford brought a first-class resume to the U.S. Senate. Best known as a former aide to John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King and one of the founders of the Peace Corps, Wofford had a long and distinguished career in governmental service. He also served as president of Bryn Mawr College, wrote a popular book Of Kennedy's and Kings and was a civil rights activist. As U.S. Senator, he remained strongly identified with health care nationally, and, despite declining popular support for health care reform, he steadfastly championed a major overhaul of the health care delivery system. He was a supporter of gun control and Pennsylvania's Abortion Control Act (though he was thought of as pro-choice); close to organized labor, he favored a ban on striker replacements and the Family Leave bill; and he voted for Clinton's 1993 budget plan and stimulus package. Wofford ran unchallenged in the Democratic primary.
His Republican opponent was Rick Santorum, a relatively young (36), two-term congressman who represented Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District, a largely Democratic district located in Pittsburgh. Santorum, a genuine conservative Republican, first came to national attention as a member of the "Gang of Seven," a group of freshman Republicans who helped expose the House Bank scandal. Ideologically very different from Wofford, Santorum was pro-life on abortion, supported the death penalty, opposed family leave, and voted against the 1993 Clinton budget and stimulus plans. Santorum was viewed by many in the media as part of the right wing of the Republican Party, and distant from the party's moderate leadership, especially U.S. Senator Arlen Specter and state Republican Party Chair Anne Anstine. The Republican moderate establishment, led by Specter, was decidedly unhappy with the prospect of Santorum, whom they viewed as too conservative and too pro-life. As the primary season unfolded, Specter began fishing for a primary challenger. Theresa Heinz, wife of former Senator John Heinz, David and Julie Eisenhower, and Barbara Hafer, the state's Auditor General, were mentioned as possibilities. In the end, however, Santorum received the endorsement of the Republican State Committee and easily defeated Joe Watkins, an African- American businessman and minister from Philadelphia, in the Republican primary. During the course of the general election campaign, the moderate wing of the party moved to embrace Santorum. Even two of Specter's top campaign operatives eventually joined Santorum’s campaign, and Specter’s help was a central component in the Santorum campaign.
fandm.edu
no question Rendell will win a second term . imo he draws a lot of votes and this will help Casey. Plus Casey got largest vote in pa. history his problem is he never stays in an elected office . As soon as he gets elelcted he has run for next office and leaves the one he was elected to. could that hurt him? Local politics says he only agreed to run for Senate after DNC assured financial support. |
