Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1954
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 1954 was held on November 2. In what is considered a crucial realigning election for the state, Democratic
State Senator George Leader defeated Republican
incumbent Lieutenant Governor Lloyd Wood
by a surprisingly large margin.
Entering the 1954 campaign, Democrats had a dismal record in state politics, winning the governorship only three times in 24 elections; the party’s stock had languished for fifteen years since the damaging administration of George Earle in the late 1930s. As a result, Leader was viewed as another mediocre if idealistic (he had gained some statewide recognition for refusing to sign a loyalty oath circulated in the legislature at the height of McCarthyism
earlier in the year) Democratic candidate. However, Leader was embraced by the reform wing of the party, of which Leader’s father had been a member during his own tenure in the State Senate; a longstanding regional divide continued to haunt the Democrats in the their primary, as former Republican and vocal critic of organizational leadership Doc McClelland (the coroner of Allegheny County) gave Leader a strong run for the nomination.
Republicans entered the race firmly unified behind Wood, but facing the deep unpopularity of their outgoing Governor Fine, whose administration had be embroiled in several scandals and who had led the push for a much criticized new sales tax. Furthermore, a huge rift had opened in the party between the middle class-backed progressive and big business-supported conservative wings of the party. A national recession, which pushed Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate to the highest in the nation also worked against Republican hopes of keeping their grasp on the governor’s mansion.
After his close call in the primary, Leader ran an energetic campaign, travelling across the state and actively engaging citizens at rallies. In the first gubernatorial campaign where a significant portion of the population owned televisions, Leader ran a series of speeches where he captured audiences with his charismatic appearances; conversely, Lloyd appeared to sluggish in his campaign, and the media chastised his television appearances as “terrible.” Perhaps the most important factor in the race was Leader’s own principled character and his commitment for reducing the presence of patronage that had long given state government a bad name; for this attitude, he earned the nickname Mr. Clean.
Leader performed not only well in the Democratic strongholds of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Scranton, but won 34 of the state’s 67 counties. His impressive win included capturing victories in many GOP strongholds such as Bucks County (one of the heavily Republican suburban Philadelphia counties), winning over 60% in his home of York County
, and becoming one of the only Democratic candidates for any major statewide office to take the state’s rural, conservative center.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
State Senator George Leader defeated Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
incumbent Lieutenant Governor Lloyd Wood
Lloyd H. Wood
Lloyd H. Wood was the Republican Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania from 1951 to 1955. He previously served as a State Senator from the Montgomery County-based 12th district from 1947-50.-External links:*...
by a surprisingly large margin.
Entering the 1954 campaign, Democrats had a dismal record in state politics, winning the governorship only three times in 24 elections; the party’s stock had languished for fifteen years since the damaging administration of George Earle in the late 1930s. As a result, Leader was viewed as another mediocre if idealistic (he had gained some statewide recognition for refusing to sign a loyalty oath circulated in the legislature at the height of McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
earlier in the year) Democratic candidate. However, Leader was embraced by the reform wing of the party, of which Leader’s father had been a member during his own tenure in the State Senate; a longstanding regional divide continued to haunt the Democrats in the their primary, as former Republican and vocal critic of organizational leadership Doc McClelland (the coroner of Allegheny County) gave Leader a strong run for the nomination.
Republicans entered the race firmly unified behind Wood, but facing the deep unpopularity of their outgoing Governor Fine, whose administration had be embroiled in several scandals and who had led the push for a much criticized new sales tax. Furthermore, a huge rift had opened in the party between the middle class-backed progressive and big business-supported conservative wings of the party. A national recession, which pushed Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate to the highest in the nation also worked against Republican hopes of keeping their grasp on the governor’s mansion.
After his close call in the primary, Leader ran an energetic campaign, travelling across the state and actively engaging citizens at rallies. In the first gubernatorial campaign where a significant portion of the population owned televisions, Leader ran a series of speeches where he captured audiences with his charismatic appearances; conversely, Lloyd appeared to sluggish in his campaign, and the media chastised his television appearances as “terrible.” Perhaps the most important factor in the race was Leader’s own principled character and his commitment for reducing the presence of patronage that had long given state government a bad name; for this attitude, he earned the nickname Mr. Clean.
Leader performed not only well in the Democratic strongholds of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Scranton, but won 34 of the state’s 67 counties. His impressive win included capturing victories in many GOP strongholds such as Bucks County (one of the heavily Republican suburban Philadelphia counties), winning over 60% in his home of York County
York County, Pennsylvania
York County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 434,972. It is in the Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile agricultural region in South Central Pennsylvania....
, and becoming one of the only Democratic candidates for any major statewide office to take the state’s rural, conservative center.
Democratic
- George Leader, State Senator (from York CountyYork County, PennsylvaniaYork County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 434,972. It is in the Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile agricultural region in South Central Pennsylvania....
)- runningmate: Roy Furman, former Speaker of the State House of Representatives (from Greene CountyGreene County, Pennsylvania-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 40,672 people, 15,060 households, and 10,587 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile . There were 16,678 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...
)
- runningmate: Roy Furman, former Speaker of the State House of Representatives (from Greene County
Republican
- Lloyd WoodLloyd H. WoodLloyd H. Wood was the Republican Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania from 1951 to 1955. He previously served as a State Senator from the Montgomery County-based 12th district from 1947-50.-External links:*...
, Lieutenant Governor (from Montgomery CountyMontgomery County, PennsylvaniaMontgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
)- runningmate: Frank TruscottFrank TruscottFrank F Truscott was a former Attorney General of Pennsylvania and candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. He was born to a wealthy horse breading family and long considered himself to be a gentleman farmer . He graduated with a law degree from Lafayette College in 1917...
, Attorney General (from Montgomery CountyMontgomery County, PennsylvaniaMontgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
)
- runningmate: Frank Truscott
Results
| Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1978 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
George Leader | Roy Furman | 1,996,266 | 53.7% | |
| Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Lloyd Wood Lloyd H. Wood Lloyd H. Wood was the Republican Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania from 1951 to 1955. He previously served as a State Senator from the Montgomery County-based 12th district from 1947-50.-External links:*... |
Frank Truscott Frank Truscott Frank F Truscott was a former Attorney General of Pennsylvania and candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. He was born to a wealthy horse breading family and long considered himself to be a gentleman farmer . He graduated with a law degree from Lafayette College in 1917... |
1,717,070 | 46.2% | |
| Progressive | Henry Beitscher | Alex Wright | 4,471 | <0.01% | |
| Socialist Workers Party | Louis Dirle | Frank Knotek | 2,650 | <0.01% | |
| Totals | 3,720,424 | 100.00% | |||