2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election
The 2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania , concurrently with the election of Pennsylvania's Class I U.S. Senate seat , as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various local elections . Incumbent Governor Tom Wolf won re-election to a second term by a double-digit margin, defeating Republican challenger Scott Wagner and two third-party candidates from the Green Party , Paul Glover and Libertarian Party , Ken Krawchuk.[ 1] [ 2] The primary elections were held on May 15.[ 3] This was the only Democratic-held governorship up for election in a state that Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election .
Wagner won 8 counties that Wolf won in 2014: Lawrence , Greene , Fayette , Cambria , Clinton , Northumberland , Carbon , and Schuylkill . Meanwhile, this was the first time since Bob Casey Jr. 's landslide State Treasurer win in 2004 that Cumberland County voted for the Democrat in a statewide election.
Democratic primary
Governor
Candidate
Nominated
Results
Lieutenant governor
Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack faced several controversies during his term, including mistreatment of state police officers assigned as his security detail.[ 4] As a result, he faced several challengers in the primary, including 2016 Senate candidate John Fetterman . Stack was ultimately defeated by Fetterman, placing fourth overall.
Candidates
Nominated
Eliminated in the primary
Withdrawn
Declined
Endorsements
Madeleine Dean (withdrawn)
Federal officials
State legislators
John Fetterman
Federal officials
State officials
State legislators
Municipal officials
Labor unions
Organizations
Individuals
Newspapers
Mike Stack
Federal officials
State legislators
Lisa Boscola , state senator from the 18th district (1999–present)[ 23]
Jim Brewster , state senator from the 45th district (2010–present)[ 24]
Jay Costa , state senator from the 43rd district (1996–present) Pennsylvania Senate Minority Leader (2011–present)[ 24]
Andy Dinniman , state senator from the 19th district (2006–2020)[ 25]
Larry Farnese , state senator from the 1st district (2009–2020)[ 25]
Wayne Fontana , state senator from the 42nd district (2005–present)[ 24]
Vincent Hughes , state senator from the 7th district (1994–present)[ 23]
Rich Kasunic , state senator from the 32nd district (1995–2015)[ 23]
Shirley Kitchen , state senator from the 3rd district (1996–2016)[ 23]
Daylin Leach , state senator from the 17th district (2009–2020)[ 23]
Judy Schwank , state senator from the 11th district (2011–present)[ 23]
Christine Tartaglione , state senator from the 2nd district (1995–present)[ 23]
Anthony Williams , state senator from the 8th congressional district (1999–present)[ 25]
John Yudichak , state senator from the 14th district (2011–2022)[ 23]
Municipal officials
Polling
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size
Margin of error
Aryanna Berringer
Kathi Cozzone
Madeleine Dean
John Fetterman
Craig Lehman
Mike Stack
Undecided
Independence Communications & Campaigns, LLC [ 27]
February 2–4, 2018
467
± 4.53%
2%
10%
4%
20%
1%
8%
55%
Primary results
Results by county: Fetterman—70–80%
Fetterman—60–70%
Fetterman—50–60%
Fetterman—40–50%
Fetterman—<40%
Ahmad—40–50%
Ahmad—<40%
Cozzone—60–70%
Cozzone—<40%
Stack—<40%
Republican primary
Governor
Candidates
Nominated
Eliminated in the primary
Withdrawn
Declined
Endorsements
Laura Ellsworth
Municipal officials
Individuals
Newspapers
Paul Mango
U.S. Senators
Organizations
Scott Wagner
Federal officials
Governors
U.S. Representatives
State senators
State representatives
Individuals
Organizations
Mike Turzai (withdrawn)
State senators
State representatives
Polling
Hypothetical polling
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size
Margin of error
Scott Wagner
Paul Mango
Mike Turzai
Undecided
McLaughlin & Associates (R-Wagner)[ 65]
April 9–10, 2017
500
± 4.5%
38%
8%
10%
45%
Results
Results by county: Wagner—60–70%
Wagner—50–60%
Wagner—40–50%
Mango—40–50%
Mango—50–60%
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
Nominated
Jeff Bartos, businessman (running with Scott Wagner)[ 67]
Eliminated in the primary
Kathy Coder, political activist[ 68]
Peg Luksik, political activist[ 69]
Diana Irey Vaughan, Washington County commissioner (running with Paul Mango)[ 70]
Removed from the ballot
Withdrawn
Considered potential
Declined
Endorsements
Results
Results by county: Bartos—60–70%
Bartos—50–60%
Bartos—40–50%
Bartos—<40%
Coder—40–50%
Coder—<40%
Vaughan—70–80%
Vaughan—50–60%
Vaughan—40–50%
Luksik—50–60%
Luksik—<40%
Green Party
Governor
Candidates
Nominated
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
Nominated
Endorsements
Libertarian Party
Governor
Candidates
Nominated
Ken Krawchuk, technology consultant and nominee for governor in 1998 , 2002 , and 2014 [ 84]
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
Nominated
Kathleen Smith, entrepreneur (running with Ken Krawchuk)
General election
Candidates
Debates
Endorsements
Scott Wagner (R)
Federal officials
Governors
U.S. Representatives
State senators
State representatives
County Commissioners
Individuals
Organizations
Tom Wolf (D)
Federal officials
Governors
U.S. Representatives
State representatives
Individuals
Organizations
Predictions
Source
Ranking
As of
The Cook Political Report [ 107]
Likely D
October 26, 2018
The Washington Post [ 108]
Likely D
November 5, 2018
FiveThirtyEight [ 109]
Safe D
November 5, 2018
Rothenberg Political Report [ 110]
Likely D
November 1, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball [ 111]
Safe D
November 5, 2018
RealClearPolitics [ 112]
Safe D
November 4, 2018
Daily Kos [ 113]
Safe D
November 5, 2018
Fox News [ 114] [ a]
Likely D
November 5, 2018
Politico [ 115]
Likely D
November 5, 2018
Governing [ 116]
Likely D
November 5, 2018
Notes
^ The Fox News Midterm Power Rankings uniquely does not contain a category for Safe/Solid races
Polling
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size
Margin of error
Tom Wolf (D)
Scott Wagner (R)
Other
Undecided
Change Research [ 117]
November 2–4, 2018
1,833
–
53%
42%
3%[ 118]
–
Research Co. [ 119]
November 1–3, 2018
450
± 4.6%
54%
39%
1%
6%
Muhlenberg College [ 120]
October 28 – November 1, 2018
421
± 5.5%
58%
37%
–
–
Franklin & Marshall College [ 121]
October 22–28, 2018
214 LV
± 9.5%
59%
33%
–
5%
537 RV
± 6.0%
57%
27%
6%[ 122]
10%
Morning Consult [ 123]
October 1–2, 2018
1,188
± 3.0%
48%
36%
–
16%
Franklin & Marshall College [ 124]
September 17–23, 2018
204 LV
–
52%
30%
–
17%
545 RV
± 6.1%
52%
28%
2%[ 125]
18%
Ipsos [ 126]
September 12–20, 2018
1,080
± 3.0%
55%
38%
2%
6%
Muhlenberg College [ 127]
September 13–19, 2018
404
± 5.5%
55%
36%
6%[ 128]
2%
Rasmussen Reports [ 129]
September 12–13, 2018
800
± 3.5%
52%
40%
3%
5%
Franklin & Marshall College [ 130]
August 20–26, 2018
222 LV
–
52%
35%
1%
12%
511 RV
± 6.1%
51%
32%
5%[ 131]
14%
Marist College [ 132]
August 12–16, 2018
713
± 4.2%
54%
40%
<1%
6%
Commonwealth Leaders Fund (R)[ 133]
August 13–15, 2018
2,012
± 3.6%
46%
43%
3%
8%
Suffolk University [ 134]
June 21–25, 2018
500
± 4.4%
49%
36%
1%
14%
Franklin & Marshall College [ 135]
June 4–10, 2018
472
± 6.5%
48%
29%
1%
23%
Muhlenberg College [ 136]
April 4–12, 2018
414
± 5.5%
47%
31%
5%
16%
Franklin & Marshall College [ 137]
March 19–26, 2018
137
± 6.8%
38%
21%
6%
35%
Hypothetical polling
with Paul Mango
with Laura Ellsworth
Results
The election was not close, with Wolf defeating Wagner by about 17 percentage points. Wolf won by running up large margins in Allegheny County , including Pittsburgh , and Philadelphia County , including Philadelphia . Wolf's victory can also be attributed to his strong performance in Philadelphia suburbs.
Results by county
County[ 139]
Tom Wolf Democratic
Scott Wagner Republican
Ken Krawchuk Libertarian
Paul Glover Green
Margin
Total votes cast
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
Adams
15,862
40.62%
22,501
57.62%
435
1.11%
255
0.65%
-6,639
-17.00%
39,053
Allegheny
364,710
67.38%
168,893
31.20%
5,244
0.97%
2,458
0.45%
195,817
36.18%
541,305
Armstrong
8,839
35.87%
15,373
62.38%
278
1.13%
153
0.62%
-6,534
-26.51%
24,643
Beaver
36,166
53.28%
30,593
45.07%
711
1.05%
406
0.60%
5,573
8.21%
67,876
Bedford
4,408
23.37%
14,261
75.60%
110
0.58%
84
0.45%
-9,853
-52.23%
18,863
Berks
76,136
52.72%
65,756
45.53%
1,619
1.12%
915
0.63%
10,380
7.19%
144,426
Blair
14,622
33.60%
28,175
64.74%
508
1.17%
217
0.50%
-13,553
-31.14%
43,522
Bradford
6,852
33.56%
13,068
64.00%
319
1.56%
181
0.89%
-6,216
-30.44%
20,420
Bucks
172,302
58.54%
117,912
40.06%
2,602
0.88%
1,513
0.51%
54,390
18.48%
294,329
Butler
32,891
41.26%
45,242
56.76%
1,088
1.36%
490
0.61%
-12,351
-15.50%
79,711
Cambria
21,639
43.37%
27,530
55.18%
413
0.83%
312
0.63%
-5,891
-11.81%
49,894
Cameron
619
34.91%
1,127
63.56%
17
0.96%
10
0.56%
-508
-28.65%
1,773
Carbon
9,659
42.85%
12,476
55.35%
267
1.18%
140
0.62%
-2,817
-12.50%
22,542
Centre
34,961
57.62%
24,353
40.13%
849
1.40%
515
0.85%
10,608
17.49%
60,678
Chester
145,212
61.33%
87,873
37.11%
2,448
1.03%
1,242
0.52%
57,339
24.22%
236,775
Clarion
5,191
36.83%
8,594
60.98%
195
1.38%
114
0.81%
-3,403
-24.15%
14,094
Clearfield
9,235
34.34%
17,241
64.11%
251
0.93%
165
0.61%
-8,006
-29.77%
26,892
Clinton
5,517
44.22%
6,727
53.92%
165
1.32%
67
0.54%
-1,210
-9.70%
12,476
Columbia
9,822
43.39%
12,424
54.88%
244
1.08%
148
0.65%
-2,602
-11.49%
22,638
Crawford
12,137
39.74%
17,859
58.47%
342
1.12%
206
0.67%
-5,722
-18.73%
30,544
Cumberland
52,807
50.54%
49,496
47.37%
1,504
1.44%
671
0.64%
3,311
3.17%
104,478
Dauphin
64,045
59.00%
42,436
39.09%
1,362
1.25%
706
0.65%
21,609
19.91%
108,549
Delaware
167,211
66.71%
80,576
32.15%
1,780
0.71%
1,076
0.43%
86,635
34.56%
250,643
Elk
4,206
37.22%
6,918
61.22%
101
0.89%
76
0.67%
-2,712
-24.00%
11,301
Erie
60,790
59.77%
39,387
38.72%
929
0.91%
605
0.59%
21,403
21.05%
101,711
Fayette
19,791
48.38%
20,471
50.04%
384
0.94%
263
0.64%
-680
-1.66%
40,909
Forest
746
38.49%
1,159
59.80%
19
0.98%
14
0.72%
-413
-21.31%
1,938
Franklin
18,447
33.59%
35,634
64.88%
525
0.96%
316
0.58%
-17,187
-31.29%
54,922
Fulton
1,037
19.58%
4,202
79.34%
39
0.74%
18
0.34%
-3,165
-59.76%
5,296
Greene
5,844
46.95%
6,381
51.26%
115
0.92%
108
0.87%
-537
-4.31%
12,448
Huntingdon
5,037
31.68%
10,586
66.57%
177
1.11%
101
0.64%
-5,549
-34.89%
15,901
Indiana
12,715
43.25%
16,179
55.04%
289
0.98%
213
0.72%
-3,464
-11.79%
29,396
Jefferson
4,277
27.46%
11,036
70.86%
173
1.11%
88
0.57%
-6,759
-43.40%
15,574
Juniata
2,550
30.02%
5,780
68.06%
101
1.19%
62
0.73%
-3,230
-38.04%
8,493
Lackawanna
54,237
64.63%
28,616
34.10%
624
0.74%
436
0.52%
25,621
30.53%
83,913
Lancaster
96,040
47.49%
102,229
50.55%
2,837
1.40%
1,118
0.55%
-6,189
-3.06%
202,224
Lawrence
15,035
46.63%
16,714
51.84%
291
0.90%
201
0.62%
-1,679
-5.21%
32,241
Lebanon
20,159
41.05%
28,096
57.21%
598
1.22%
255
0.52%
-7,937
-16.16%
49,108
Lehigh
77,248
60.07%
49,071
38.16%
1,485
1.15%
802
0.62%
28,177
21.91%
128,606
Luzerne
55,734
51.69%
50,701
47.02%
826
0.77%
562
0.52%
5,033
4.67%
107,823
Lycoming
14,727
35.90%
25,570
62.33%
453
1.10%
275
0.67%
-10,843
-26.43%
41,025
McKean
3,899
30.96%
8,512
67.59%
104
0.83%
78
0.62%
-4,613
-36.63%
12,593
Mercer
18,200
44.28%
22,211
54.04%
413
1.00%
276
0.67%
-4,011
-9.76%
41,100
Mifflin
4,127
30.03%
9,408
68.45%
130
0.95%
80
0.58%
-5,281
-38.42%
13,745
Monroe
32,064
57.84%
22,530
40.64%
481
0.87%
362
0.65%
9,534
17.20%
55,437
Montgomery
256,252
67.18%
120,206
31.51%
3,260
0.85%
1,728
0.45%
136,046
35.67%
381,446
Montour
3,228
46.02%
3,642
51.92%
97
1.38%
48
0.68%
-414
-5.90%
7,015
Northampton
65,749
57.11%
47,527
41.28%
1,211
1.05%
635
0.55%
18,222
15.83%
115,122
Northumberland
12,135
42.10%
16,122
55.94%
360
1.25%
204
0.71%
-3,987
-13.84%
28,821
Perry
5,905
34.34%
10,915
63.47%
262
1.52%
144
0.66%
-5,010
-29.13%
17,196
Philadelphia
484,124
87.36%
64,514
11.64%
2,593
0.47%
2,944
0.53%
419,160
76.28%
554,175
Pike
9,074
43.63%
11,408
54.85%
184
0.88%
134
0.64%
-2,334
-11.22%
20,800
Potter
1,452
23.24%
4,687
75.02%
67
1.07%
42
0.67%
-3,235
-51.78%
6,248
Schuylkill
21,179
43.47%
26,640
54.68%
570
1.17%
329
0.68%
-5,461
-11.21%
48,718
Snyder
4,833
36.25%
8,283
62.13%
149
1.12%
67
0.50%
-3,450
-25.88%
13,332
Somerset
9,138
31.81%
19,020
66.21%
366
1.27%
204
0.71%
-9,882
-34.40%
28,728
Sullivan
977
36.20%
1,661
61.54%
50
1.85%
11
0.41%
-684
-25.34%
2,699
Susquehanna
5,273
33.55%
10,137
64.49%
177
1.13%
132
0.84%
-4,864
-30.94%
15,719
Tioga
3,991
27.01%
10,472
70.86%
179
1.21%
136
0.92%
-6,481
-43.85%
14,778
Union
6,426
44.64%
7,676
53.32%
201
1.40%
93
0.65%
-1,250
-8.68%
14,396
Venango
7,431
39.90%
10,856
58.29%
242
1.30%
96
0.52%
-3,425
-18.39%
18,625
Warren
5,447
37.61%
8,766
60.53%
162
1.12%
108
0.75%
-3,319
-22.92%
14,483
Washington
39,898
48.41%
40,662
49.34%
1,282
1.56%
576
0.70%
-764
-0.93%
82,418
Wayne
8,023
39.94%
11,751
58.50%
178
0.89%
134
0.67%
-3,728
-18.56%
20,086
Westmoreland
67,950
46.45%
76,126
52.04%
1,529
1.05%
690
0.47%
-8,176
-5.59%
146,295
Wyoming
4,101
38.51%
6,344
59.57%
100
0.94%
104
0.98%
-2,243
-21.06%
10,649
York
75,313
44.57%
90,590
53.61%
2,165
1.28%
910
0.54%
-15,277
-9.04%
168,978
Totals
2,895,652
57.77%
2,039,882
40.70%
49,229
0.98%
27,792
0.55%
855,770
17.07%
5,012,555
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Margin swing by county
Democratic — >15%
Democratic — +12.5−15%
Democratic — +10−12.5%
Democratic — +7.5-10%
Democratic — +5−7.5%
Democratic — +2.5−5%
Democratic — +0−2.5%
Republican — +0−2.5%
Republican — +2.5−5%
Republican — +5−7.5%
Republican — +7.5−10%
Republican — +10−12.5%
Republican — +12.5−15%
Republican — >15%
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
By congressional district
Wolf won 12 of 18 congressional districts, including three that elected Republicans.[ 140]
See also
References
^ a b c "Pa-Gov: Wolf: 'I am running for re-election in 2018' " . PoliticsPA. March 7, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017 .
^ "Tom Wolf Is the Projected Winner of a Second Term as Pennsylvania Governor, Defeating Republican Challenger Scott Wagner" . WCAU . November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018 .
^ "State Primary Election Dates" . National Conference of State Legislatures . January 10, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018 .
^ Straub, Mike (April 12, 2017). "Lt. Gov. Mike Stack apologizes for how he and wife treated state troopers on security detail" . WGAL 8 . Retrieved November 2, 2024 .
^ a b c Potter, Chris (November 14, 2017). "Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, cargo shorts and all, is aiming for the suit-and-tie job of Lt. Gov" . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved November 14, 2017 .
^ Seidman, Andrew (February 26, 2018). "Former Mayor Kenney aide Nina Ahmad to run for lieutenant governor" . The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved February 26, 2018 .
^ Rettew, Bill Jr. (August 22, 2017). "Commissioner Kathi Cozzone officially announces run for lieutenant governor" . Daily Local News . Retrieved August 30, 2017 .
^ Venteicher, Wes. "Lieutenant governor candidates split on whether Gov. Wolf should release Stack report" . TribLIVE.com . Retrieved May 22, 2018 .
^ Seidman, Andrew; Couloumbis, Angela (November 21, 2017). "Lt. Gov. Mike Stack, dogged by controversy, announces reelection bid" . The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved December 1, 2017 .
^ Murphy, Jan (June 14, 2017). "Lt. Gov. Stack's treatment of staff inspires re-election challenge" . PennLive.com . Retrieved August 30, 2017 .
^ Fitzgerald, Thomas (March 22, 2018). "Aryanna Berringer quits Pa. race for LG, blasts rivals, money in politics" . The Philadelphia Inquirer .
^ a b c d e f g h Englekemier, Paul (November 29, 2017). "Dean Enters Race for Lieutenant Governor" . PoliticsPA . Retrieved December 1, 2017 .
^ Englekemier, Paul (February 22, 2018). "Dean Ends LG Bid, Enters Race for PA-4" . PoliticsPA . Retrieved March 8, 2018 .
^ Janesch, Sam (November 22, 2017). "Lancaster County Commissioner Craig Lehman will run for lieutenant governor, wants to be part of 'positive change' " . LancasterOnline . Retrieved December 1, 2017 .
^ a b "Cozzone earns more endorsements in bid to become Pa. Lt. Gov" . Delaware County Daily Times . November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017 .
^ Moselle, Aaron (May 4, 2018). "Fetterman supporters 'feel the Bern' during Philly endorsement rally" . WHYY . Retrieved April 2, 2021 .
^ Venteicher, Wes (December 4, 2017). "Rendell endorses Fetterman for lieutenant governor" . Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . Retrieved December 14, 2017 .
^