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 County results Congressional district results Precinct resultsSantorum: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Wofford: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 30–40% 40–50% 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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The1994 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held November 8, 1994. IncumbentDemocratic U.S. SenatorHarris Wofford, who was appointed to the position in 1991 and won a special election the same year, sought re-election to a full six-year term, but he was defeated byRepublicanRick Santorum.[1] By a margin of 2.5%, this election was the second-closest race of the 1994 Senate election cycle, behind onlythe election in California.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harris Wofford (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 714,930 | 100.00% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Santorum | 667,115 | 81.55% | |
| Republican | Joseph P. Watkins | 150,969 | 18.45% | |
| Total votes | 818,084 | 100.00% | ||
Wofford's campaign was hurt from the outset by his strong connection with PresidentBill Clinton's failed healthcare reform proposals; Wofford had made working toward universal healthcare a crucial issue in his prior campaign and was one of the executive's strongest allies on the issue. After this failure, however, the senator ran a relatively passive campaign. He instead attempted to focus attention on his challenger, an arch-conservative who did not attempt to moderate his views after the primary election. The polarizing Santorum took strong positions against abortion, gay rights, and affirmative action, and he even clashed with some of the traditional fixtures of the state's moderate Republican establishment. Early in the campaign and with little statewide name recognition, Santorum made a critical error by attackingSocial Security, and Wofford appeared to be in relatively safe position. However, Santorum ran an effective grassroots campaign and specifically targeted many union Democrats who had reservations about the liberal social values advocated by many of their party's leaders.[3]
In the closing weeks of the campaign, Santorum was greatly helped by strong Republican enthusiasm because of anger over Clinton's failed initiatives. He solidified his status by running a series of positive ads that attempted to define his character strengths and to contrast with Wofford's negative commercials. Santorum eventually received a close victory by performing well (and nearly winning) his home in the suburbanPittsburgh region and through particularly low turnout in Democratic strongholds, such asPhiladelphia,Scranton, and Pittsburgh.[3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Santorum | 1,735,691 | 49.40% |  4.41 | ||
| Democratic | Harris Wofford (incumbent) | 1,648,481 | 46.92% |  8.09 | ||
| Patriot Party | Diane G. Blough | 69,825 | 1.99% | N/A | ||
| Libertarian | Donald Ernsberger | 59,115 | 1.68% | N/A | ||
| Write-in | 249 | 0.01% | N/A | |||
| Majority | 87,210 | 2.48% | −7.53% | |||
| Totals | 3,513,361 | 100.00% | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||||
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