1992 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

Class III U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania

1992 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

* * *

| <- 1986 | November 3, 1992 | 1998 ->

|
|

|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | Arlen Specter | Lynn Yeakel |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Popular vote  | 2,358,125 | 2,224,966
Percentage  | 49.1% | 46.3%

* * *

County results

Specter: 40-50% 50-60%

Yeakel: 40–50% 50–60%

* * *

| U.S. senator before election

Arlen Specter
Republican

| Elected U.S. Senator

Arlen Specter
Republican

|

Elections in Pennsylvania

Federal government

|  U.S. President

* 1789
* 1792
* 1796
* 1800
* 1804
* 1808
* 1812
* 1816
* 1820
* 1824
* 1828
* 1832
* 1836
* 1840
* 1844
* 1848
* 1852
* 1856
* 1860
* 1864
* 1868
* 1872
* 1876
* 1880
* 1884
* 1888
* 1892
* 1896
* 1900
* 1904
* 1908
* 1912
* 1916
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1940
* 1944
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020

Presidential primaries

Democratic
2004
2008
2016
2020

Republican
2008
2020
U.S. Senate

* 1788
* 1791
* 1793 sp
* 1794 sp
* 1795
* 1796
* 1797
* 1801
* 1801 sp
* 1802
* 1806
* 1808
* 1808 sp
* 1809 sp
* 1812
* 1814
* 1814 sp
* 1818
* 1820
* 1824
* 1826
* 1830
* 1831 sp
* 1832
* 1834 sp
* 1836
* 1840 sp
* 1843
* 1845
* 1845 sp
* 1849
* 1851
* 1856
* 1857
* 1861
* 1861 sp
* 1863
* 1867
* 1869
* 1873
* 1875
* 1877 sp
* 1879
* 1881
* 1885
* 1887
* 1891
* 1893
* 1897
* 1899
* 1901 sp
* 1903
* 1905
* 1905 sp
* 1908
* 1909
* 1909 sp
* 1911
* 1914
* 1916
* 1920
* 1922
* 1922 sp
* 1926
* 1928
* 1930 sp
* 1932
* 1934
* 1938
* 1940
* 1944
* 1946
* 1950
* 1952
* 1956
* 1958
* 1962
* 1964
* 1968
* 1970
* 1974
* 1976
* 1980
* 1982
* 1986
* 1988
* 1991 sp
* 1992
* 1994
* 1998
* 2000
* 2004
* 2006
* 2010
* 2012
* 2016
* 2018
* 2022
* 2024

U.S. House of Representatives

* 1788
* 1791
* 1792
* 1794
* 1796
* 5th sp
* 1797
* 5th sp
* 1798
* 1st sp
* 4th sp
* 1800
* 8th sp
* 1801
* 4th sp
* 8th sp
* 12th sp
* 1802
* 1804
* 10th sp
* 1805
* 4th sp
* 11th sp
* 1806
* 1st sp
* 1808
* 1st sp
* 1809
* 1st sp
* 1810
* 1812
* 1813
* 3rd sp
* 5th sp
* 7th sp
* 13th sp
* 15th sp
* 1814
* 2nd sp
* 3rd sp
* 1815
* 1st sp
* 3rd sp
* 9th sp
* 1816
* 9th sp
* 1817
* 10th sp
* 1818
* 4th sp
* 6th sp
* 1820
* 5th sp
* 7th sp
* 1821
* 5th sp
* 10th sp
* 1822
* 1st sp
* 6th sp
* 7th sp
* 14th sp
* 1824
* 8th sp
* 13th sp
* 1825
* 16th sp
* 1826
* 2nd sp
* 7th sp
* 13th sp
* 18th sp
* 1827
* 2nd sp
* 1828
* 1829
* 8th sp
* 16th sp
* 1830
* 1831
* 11th sp
* 1832
* 1833
* 1st sp
* 1834
* 1836
* 13th sp
* 24th sp
* 1837
* 3rd sp
* 1838
* 9th sp
* 1839
* 14th sp
* 1840
* 13th sp
* 22nd sp
* 1841
* 2nd sp
* 13th sp
* 20th sp
* 18th sp
* Jun
* Dec
* 1842
* 17th sp
* 21st sp
* 1843
* 1844
* 12th sp
* 13th sp
* 21st sp
* 1846
* 1848
* 6th sp
* 1850
* 11th sp
* 15th sp
* 1852
* 1854
* 8th sp
* 1856
* 1857
* 12th sp
* 1858
* 8th sp
* 1860
* 8th sp
* 1861
* 2nd sp
* 12th sp
* 1862
* 7th sp
* 1864
* 1866
* 1867
* 12th sp
* 1868
* 9th sp
* 20th sp
* 1870
* 1872
* 13th sp
* 1874
* 23rd sp
* 1876
* 12th sp
* 1878
* 1880
* 1882
* 1884
* 19th sp
* 1885
* 19th sp
* 1886
* 1888
* 1890
* 3rd sp
* 4th sp
* 1892
* 1893
* 2nd sp
* 8th sp
* 1894
* at-large sp
* 1895
* 15th sp
* 1896
* 1897
* 25th sp
* 1898
* 23rd sp
* 1899
* 9th sp
* 1900
* 5th sp
* 1901
* 10th sp
* 1902
* 17th sp
* 1903
* 4th sp
* 1904
* 3rd sp
* 1906
* 2nd sp
* 3rd sp
* 12th sp
* 1907
* 2nd sp
* 1908
* 1910
* 1911
* 2nd sp
* 14th sp
* 1912
* 1st sp
* 1914
* 1916
* 1917
* 28th sp
* 1918
* 1919
* 22nd sp
* 1920
* 3rd sp
* 1921
* at-large sp
* 1922
* 1924
* 1926
* 1927
* 1st sp
* 1928
* 8th sp
* 1929
* 12th sp
* 1930
* 1931
* 2nd sp
* 1932
* 6th sp
* 18th sp
* 20th sp
* 1933
* 9th sp
* 1934
* 1936
* 1937
* 18th sp
* 1938
* 1939
* 4th sp
* 1940
* 1941
* 15th sp
* 1942
* 11th sp
* 12th sp
* 33rd sp
* 1943
* 2nd sp
* 23rd sp
* 1944
* 2nd sp
* 17th sp
* 1946
* 10th sp
* 23rd sp
* 33rd sp
* 1947
* 8th sp
* 1948
* 1949
* 22nd sp
* 26th sp
* 1950
* 1951
* 8th sp
* 14th sp
* 33rd sp
* 1952
* 1954
* 1956
* 2nd sp
* 30th sp
* 1957
* 13th sp
* 1958
* 4th sp
* 21st sp
* 1960
* 17th sp
* 18th sp
* 1961
* 16th sp
* 1962
* 1963
* 15th sp
* 23rd sp
* 1964
* 5th sp
* 1966
* 1968
* 1970
* 9th sp
* 1971
* 18th sp
* 1972
* 27th sp
* 1974
* 12th sp
* 1976
* 1st sp
* 1978
* 1980
* 11th sp
* 12th sp
* 1981
* 3rd sp
* 1982
* 1984
* 1986
* 1988
* 1990
* 1991
* 2nd sp
* 1992
* 1994
* 1996
* 1998
* 1st sp
* 2000
* 2001
* 9th sp
* 2002
* 2004
* 2006
* 2008
* 2010
* 12th sp
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2nd sp
* 2018
* 7th sp
* 15th sp
* 18th sp
* 2019
* 12th sp
* 2020
* 2022

State government

|  Governor

* 1790
* 1793
* 1796
* 1799
* 1802
* 1805
* 1808
* 1811
* 1814
* 1817
* 1820
* 1823
* 1826
* 1829
* 1832
* 1835
* 1838
* 1841
* 1844
* 1847
* 1848
* 1851
* 1854
* 1857
* 1860
* 1863
* 1866
* 1869
* 1872
* 1875
* 1878
* 1882
* 1886
* 1890
* 1894
* 1898
* 1902
* 1906
* 1910
* 1914
* 1918
* 1922
* 1926
* 1930
* 1934
* 1938
* 1942
* 1946
* 1950
* 1954
* 1958
* 1962
* 1966
* 1970
* 1974
* 1978
* 1982
* 1986
* 1990
* 1994
* 1998
* 2002
* 2006
* 2010
* 2014
* 2018
* 2022

Lieutenant Governor

* 1998
* 2002
* 2006
* 2010
* 2014
* 2018
* 2022

Attorney General

* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020

Auditor General

* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020

State Treasurer

* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020

State Senate

* 2000
* 2002
* 2004
* 2006
* 2008
* 2010
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022

State House of Representatives

* 2000
* 2002
* 2004
* 2006
* 2008
* 2010
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022

Elections by year

|  State elections

* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

Philadelphia

|  Mayoral elections

* 1839
* 1840
* 1841
* 1842
* 1843
* 1844
* 1845
* 1846
* 1847
* 1848
* 1849
* 1850
* 1851
* 1852
* 1853
* 1854
* 1856
* 1858
* 1860
* 1862
* 1865
* 1868
* 1871
* 1874
* 1877
* 1881
* 1884
* 1887
* 1891
* 1895
* 1899
* 1903
* 1907
* 1911
* 1915
* 1919
* 1923
* 1927
* 1931
* 1935
* 1939
* 1943
* 1947
* 1951
* 1955
* 1959
* 1963
* 1967
* 1971
* 1975
* 1979
* 1983
* 1987
* 1991
* 1995
* 1999
* 2003
* 2007
* 2011
* 2015
* 2019
* 2023

City Council elections

* 2015
* 2019
* 2022–23 sp.
* 2023

Other municipal elections

* 1951
* 1953
* 1955
* 1957
* 1959
* 1961

Pittsburgh

|  Mayors

* 1909
* 1913
* 1917
* 1921
* 1925
* 1929
* 1933
* 1937
* 1941
* 1945
* 1949
* 1953
* 1957
* 1959
* 1961
* 1965
* 1969
* 1973
* 1977
* 1981
* 1985
* 1989
* 1993
* 1997
* 2001
* 2005
* 2007
* 2009
* 2013
* 2017
* 2021

Allentown

|  Mayors

* 2017
* 2019 sp
* 2021

Lancaster

|  Mayors

* 2009
* 2017
* 2021

Harrisburg

|  Mayors

* 2017
* 2021

Government

* v
* t
* e

The 1992 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Arlen Specter narrowly won re-election to a third term.

## Contents

* 1 Republican primary
* 1.1 Candidates
* 1.2 Campaign
* 2 Democratic primary
* 2.1 Candidates
* 2.2 Results
* 3 General election
* 3.1 Candidates
* 3.2 Campaign
* 4 Results
* 5 See also
* 6 References

## Republican primary[edit]

### Candidates[edit]

* Stephen Freind, State Representative (from Delaware County)
* Arlen Specter, incumbent U.S. Senator (from Philadelphia County)

### Campaign[edit]

Despite his powerful position in the Senate, Specter had numerous problems entering the election. A moderate who generally received only tepid support from his party's conservative wing, he was criticized by the right for opposing Ronald Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. Specter subsequently faced a primary challenge from ultra-conservative State Representative Stephen Freind; although the incumbent won handily, the battle was expensive and featured many damaging attack ads.

## Democratic primary[edit]

### Candidates[edit]

* Robert E. Colville, District Attorney of Allegheny County (from Allegheny County)
* Freddy Mann Friedman
* Mark Singel, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania (from Cambria County)
* Philip Valenti
* Lynn Yeakel, millionaire director of women's studies at Drexel University College of Medicine and daughter of former U.S. Congressman Porter Hardy of Virginia (from Delaware County)

### Results[edit]

Yeakel won the five-way primary with 45% of the vote, easily defeating the endorsed candidate, Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel, in an election cycle dubbed by pundits as the "year of the woman".

## General election[edit]

### Candidates[edit]

* John Perry (Libertarian)
* Arlen Specter, incumbent U.S. Senator (from Philadelphia County) (Republican)
* Lynn Yeakel, millionaire director of women's studies at Drexel University College of Medicine and daughter of former U.S. Representative Porter Hardy Jr.[1][2] (from Delaware County) (Democratic)

### Campaign[edit]

Senator Specter was highly targeted by women's groups for his involvement in the Clarence Thomas proceedings; in his questioning of Anita Hill, Specter appeared to show no sympathy for her allegations of sexual harassment. Furthermore, President Bush's popularity was rapidly declining in the state over high unemployment rates, and was subsequently dragging down Republican candidates.[3]

Polls put Yeakel ahead of Specter by double digits, but Specter ran a campaign that was praised by political analysts for being almost flawless.[3] Despite Yeakel's personal wealth, her inexperience in politics led to fundraising problems; Specter outspent her by a two-to-one margin. This kept Yeakel from running television ads until September 23, a month and a half before the election. The moderate Specter portrayed Yeakel, despite her liberal attitude, as a member of an elitist blue-blood family. He emphasized her father's votes against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 while in Congress, her affiliation with an all-white country club, and her church's minister's vocal criticism of the Israeli government.[4][5] It did not help matters that a newspaper strike in Pittsburgh crippled Yeakel's ability to introduce herself to voters in the southwest.[3]

Despite her mistakes, including a frequent tendency to mispronounce the names of places in which she was campaigning, Yeakel continued to perform solidly.

## Results[edit]

1992 U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | Arlen Specter (incumbent)  | 2,358,125  | 49.10%
| Democratic | Lynn Yeakel | 2,224,966  | 46.33%
| Libertarian | John Perry  | 219,319  | 4.57%
Total votes  | 4,822,410  | 100.00%
Majority  | 133,159  | 2.77%
| Republican hold

On Election Day, Yeakel captured by large numbers the traditional Democratic strongholds of the state, such as Pittsburgh, Scranton, and Erie. However, Specter undercut Yeakel's support in the state's most critical Democratic county: Philadelphia. Specter campaigned hard in black neighborhoods and received the endorsement of the NAACP. Furthermore, he capitalized on the ambivalence of many Philadelphia Democratic leaders to Yeakel. A self-described reform candidate, Yeakel distanced herself from the city's ward leaders. As a result, while Yeakel carried Philadelphia by a solid 122,000-vote margin, she significantly underperformed Bill Clinton's total there.[3]

Also critical to the campaign was Specter's grass-roots involvement in Yeakel's base, the traditionally GOP, but Democratic-trending, suburbs of Philadelphia. Yeakel also significantly underperformed in the northeast and southwest. She barely won Lackawanna County, home to Scranton, and barely lost Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh; as mentioned above, she easily carried the cities themselves.[3]

## See also[edit]

* 1992 United States Senate elections

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Yeakel to oppose Specter, main target in Senate race". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 29, 1992. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
2. ^ "Yeakel, Lynn". OurCampaigns. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
3. ^ a b c d e Kennedy, John J. (2006). Pennsylvania Elections: Statewide Contests from 1950-2004. United Press of America. ISBN 9780761832799.
4. ^ Kornacki, Steve (April 30, 2009). "Lynn Yeakel Isn't Angry Anymore". New York Observer. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
5. ^ http://articles.philly.com/1992-11-15/news/26007483_1_lynn-yeakel-pastor-first-church[bare URL]
6. ^ Clerk of the House of Representatives (1993). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional election of November 3, 1992" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.

* v
* t
* e

(1991 <-)  1992 United States elections (-> 1993)

President|

* 1992 United States presidential election

U.S. Senate|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* California (special)
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maryland
* Missouri
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* North Dakota (special)
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Utah
* Vermont
* Washington
* Wisconsin

U.S.
House|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Governors|

* American Samoa
* Delaware
* Indiana
* Missouri
* Lt. Gov
* Montana
* New Hampshire
* North Carolina
* Lt. Gov
* North Dakota
* Puerto Rico
* Rhode Island
* Utah
* Vermont
* Washington
* West Virginia

State
legislatures|

* California
* Assembly
* Senate
* Iowa Senate
* Minnesota
* House
* Senate

Mayors|

* Baton Rouge, LA
* Irvine CA
* Orlando, FL
* San Diego, CA
* San Juan, PR

States|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* American Samoa
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Guam
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Puerto Rico
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* United States Virgin Islands
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

* v
* t
* e

United States Senate elections

Elected by
state legislatures
(before the 17th
Amendment)|

* 1788–89
* 1790–91
* 1792–93
* 1794–95
* 1796–97
* 1798–99
* 1800–01
* 1802–03
* 1804–05
* 1806–07
* 1808–09
* 1810–11
* 1812–13
* 1814–15
* 1816–17
* 1818–19
* 1820–21
* 1822–23
* 1824–25
* 1826–27
* 1828–29
* 1830–31
* 1832–33
* 1834–35
* 1836–37
* 1838–39
* 1840–41
* 1842–43
* 1844–45
* 1846–47
* 1848–49
* 1850–51
* 1852–53
* 1854–55
* 1856–57
* 1858–59
* 1860–61
* 1862–63
* 1864–65
* 1866–67
* 1868–69
* 1870–71
* 1872–73
* 1874–75
* 1876–77
* 1878–79
* 1880–81
* 1882–83
* 1884–85
* 1886–87
* 1888–89
* 1890–91
* 1892–93
* 1894–95
* 1896–97
* 1898–99
* 1900–01
* 1902–03
* 1904–05
* 1906–07
* 1908–09
* 1910–11
* 1912–13

Popular election
(after the 17th
Amendment)|

| Regulars
and
even-year
specials|

* 1914
* 1916
* 1918
* 1920
* 1922
* 1924
* 1926
* 1928
* 1930
* 1932
* 1934
* 1936
* 1938
* 1940
* 1942
* 1944
* 1946
* 1948
* 1950
* 1952
* 1954
* 1956
* 1958
* 1960
* 1962
* 1964
* 1966
* 1968
* 1970
* 1972
* 1974
* 1976
* 1978
* 1980
* 1982
* 1984
* 1986
* 1988
* 1990
* 1992
* 1994
* 1996
* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
* 2004
* 2006
* 2008
* 2010
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022
* 2024
* 2026

|

Odd-year
specials|

* 1921
* 1923
* 1925
* 1931
* 1933
* 1937
* 1941
* 1947
* 1949
* 1957
* 1959
* 1961
* 1975
* 1983
* 1991
* 1993
* 2013
* 2017
* List of all specials

* Special elections
* Election disputes
* Results by state
* List of elections in the United States
* House elections
* Presidential elections
* Gubernatorial elections

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[LA]: Louisiana
*[CA]: California
*[FL]: Florida
*[PR]: Puerto Rico