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 County results Schweiker: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Flaherty: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1974 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 5, 1974. Incumbent Republican U.S. SenatorRichard Schweiker was re-elected to a second term over Democratic mayor of PittsburghPeter F. Flaherty. This election was the first time since1938 that an incumbent Republican Senator was re-elected to this seat.
In the general election campaign, Schweiker faced popular Pittsburgh mayorPeter Flaherty. Both candidates, as highlighted by aNew York Times article, "[took] firm stands against inflation, recession, big spending by the Federal Government andabortion on demand."[1] Schweiker, who was endorsed by theAFL–CIO, distanced himself from theRichard Nixonadministration, specifically theWatergate scandal, by emphasizing his early calls for Nixon's resignation and the fact that he was on Nixon's "enemies list."[1]
In the end, Schweiker won re-election with 53% of the popular vote, with Flaherty winning 45.9%. Schweiker carried 53 of Pennsylvania's counties, a decrease from the 59 counties he carried in the1968 election. Flaherty had a strong showing inAllegheny County, which contains his home town of Pittsburgh, which Schweiker had won in 1968. The final election results represented a political divide between the eastern and western portions of the state, Schweiker in the east and Flaherty in the west, with the exception of Flaherty's slim 4,491 vote victory inPhiladelphia.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Schweiker (incumbent) | 1,843,317 | 53.00% | ||
| Democratic | Peter F. Flaherty | 1,596,121 | 45.89% | ||
| Constitution | George W. Shankey | 38,004 | 1.09% | ||
| Write-in | 370 | 0.01% | |||
| Majority | 247,196 | 7.11% | |||
| Turnout | 3,477,812 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
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