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 County results Heinz: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Wecht: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1982 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Republican U.S. SenatorJohn Heinz successfully sought re-election to another term, defeating Democratic nomineeCyril Wecht.
John Heinz's Democratic opponent in the 1982 election was Allegheny County commissioner and formercoronerCyril Wecht, who lacked significantname recognition outside ofPittsburgh, his home town. Although the1982 elections were a setback nationally for incumbent PresidentRonald Reagan and the Republican Party, neither Heinz nor incumbent Republican governorDick Thornburgh, who was alsoup for re-election in 1982, were challenged by Democrats with statewide prominence.
Wecht ran a low-budget campaign, lacking the assets to boost his name recognition;The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a headline dubbing the contest, "The Race for Senator No One Seemed to Notice."[1]
Despite this, Heinz ran a cautious campaign, running as amoderate due to Pennsylvania's unemployment, 11%, one of the highest in the nation at the time, as well as the declining health of Pennsylvania's coal mining, manufacturing and steel industries. In the end, Heinz won the election by a wide margin, winning 59.3% of the popular vote. Wecht won 39.2% of the popular vote.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | H. John Heinz III (Incumbent) | 2,136,418 | 59.28% | +6.89% | |
| Democratic | Cyril Wecht | 1,412,965 | 39.20% | −7.59% | |
| Libertarian | Barbara I. Karkutt | 19,244 | 0.53% | +0.53% | |
| Socialist Workers | William H. Thomas | 18,951 | 0.53% | +0.41% | |
| Consumer | Liane Norman | 16,530 | 0.46% | +0.46% | |
| Majority | 723,453 | 20.08% | +14.48% | ||
| Total votes | 3,604,108 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
