1946 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

Summary

The 1946 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1946. Republican Party nominee James H. Duff defeated Democratic Party nominee John S. Rice to become Governor of Pennsylvania.[1] As of 2023, this was the last time Philadelphia County voted for the Republican candidate.

1946 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

← 1942 November 5, 1946 (1946-11-05) 1950 →
 
Nominee Jim Duff John Rice
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Dan Strickler John Dent
Popular vote 1,828,462 1,270,947
Percentage 58.53% 40.68%

County results

Duff:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%

Rice:      40–50%      50–60%

Governor before election

John Bell
Republican

Elected Governor

Jim Duff
Republican

Primary edit

The endorsed candidates for the two major parties each won by large margins, with Duff earning over three-quarters of the vote against outgoing Secretary of Highways John Shroyer of Shamokin and Rice winning by a similar margin over Mahanoy City businessman Henry Morris.

Pennsylvania gubernatorial Democratic primary election, 1946[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Rice 279,503 72.25
Democratic Henry Morris 107,338 27.75
Pennsylvania gubernatorial Republican primary election, 1946[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jim Duff 725,567 77.01
Republican John Shroyer 182,256 19.34
Republican Carl Mau 34,367 3.65

Major Party Candidates edit

Democratic edit

Republican edit

Campaign edit

A close confidant of popular outgoing Governor Ed Martin, who was running for a US Senate seat, Duff was the clear favorite throughout the campaign. Duff ran as a moderate progressive but also as a hardline anti-communist. He promised to address the key topic of labor strife by limiting strikes and cracking down on union criminal activity while concurrently increasing the minimum wage. Duff also vowed to spur innovation amongst the state's fragmented local governments.[1]

Results edit

Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1946[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jim Duff 1,828,462 58.52
Democratic John S. Rice 1,270,947 40.68
Prohibition James Killip 13,833 0.44
Socialist Labor George Taylor 10,747 0.34

References edit

  1. ^ "PA Governor". OurCampaigns. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns - PA Governor - D Primary Race - May 21, 1946".
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - PA Governor - R Primary Race - May 21, 1946".
  4. ^ The Pennsylvania Manual, p. 7-94.
  5. ^ The Pennsylvania Manual, p. 7-16.