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 County results Duff: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Rice: 40–50% 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The1946 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1946.Republican Party nomineeJames H. Duff defeatedDemocratic Party nomineeJohn S. Rice to becomeGovernor of Pennsylvania.[1] As of 2026, this was the last timePhiladelphia County voted for the Republican candidate.
The endorsed candidates for Democratic Party won by a large margin, with Rice winning by a three-quarters of the vote overMahanoy City businessman Henry Morris.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Rice | 279,503 | 72.25 | |
| Democratic | Henry Arthur Morris | 107,338 | 27.75 | |
| Total votes | 386,841 | 100.00 | ||
The endorsed candidate for the Republican Party won by a large margin, with Duff earning over three-quarters of the vote against outgoing Secretary of Highways John Shroyer ofShamokin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Duff | 725,567 | 77.01 | |
| Republican | John Shroyer | 182,256 | 19.34 | |
| Republican | Carl Mau | 34,367 | 3.65 | |
| Total votes | 942,199 | 100.00 | ||
A close confidant of popular outgoing GovernorEd 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]
| 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 | |
| Total votes | 3,099,409 | 100.00 | ||
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