| |||||||||||||||||
County results Dwyer: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Casey: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
ThePennsylvania State Treasurer election was held on November 4, 1980. Democratic incumbentRobert E. Casey lost re-election to Republican candidateR. Budd Dwyer by a margin of 1.25%.[1][2][3] Casey had won election to the office in1976 due in large part to his similar name toRobert P. Casey.[4][5][6] In 1980, Dwyer's supporters chanted, "Casey's not Casey" to remind voters his opponent was not Robert P. Casey.[7] A reporting error inLebanon County by theAssociated Press led many to incorrectly believe Casey had defeated Dwyer until it was later corrected.[3]
Incumbent Robert E. Casey won re-nomination.[1][8] He received the endorsement of the Democratic state committee and defeated a single primary challenger, Olga O. Woodward.[6]
The Republican Party nominated State SenatorR. Budd Dwyer.[7][9]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | R. Budd Dwyer | 2,055,199 | 49.43% | ||
| Democratic | Robert E. Casey | 2,003,126 | 48.18% | ||
| Consumer Party | Thelma R. Hambright | 43,801 | 1.05% | ||
| Libertarian | Frank W. Bubb III | 31,573 | 0.76% | ||
| Socialist Workers | Tory A. Dunn | 23,879 | 0.57% | ||
| Total votes | 4,157,578 | 100.0 | |||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | |||||