2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2018

November 6, 2018

x150px x150px Nominee Tom Wolf Scott Wagner Party Democratic Republican Running mate John Fetterman Jeff Bartos Popular vote 2,895,662 2,039,899 Percentage 57.8% 40.7%

250px County Results Wolf:      50–60%      60–70%      80-90% Wagner:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70-80%

Governor before election Tom Wolf Democratic Elected Governor Tom Wolf Democratic

The 2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, concurrently with the election of Pennsylvania's Class I U.S. Senate seat, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various local elections. Incumbent Democratic Governor Tom Wolf won re-election to a second term by a double-digit margin, defeating Republican challenger Scott Wagner and two third-party candidates. The primary elections were held on May 15.

Democratic primary

Governor

Candidates

Nominated

• Tom Wolf, incumbent governor

Results

Democratic primary results
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Wolf (incumbent)	741,676	100.0
Total votes			741,676	100.0

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates

Nominated

• John Fetterman, mayor of Braddock and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016

Eliminated in primary

• Nina Ahmad, former deputy mayor of Philadelphia
• Kathi Cozzone, Chester County Commissioner
• Ray Sosa, banker and insurance broker
• Mike Stack, incumbent Lieutenant Governor

Withdrawn

• Madeleine Dean, state representative (running for PA-04)
• Aryanna Berringer, Iraq War veteran and nominee for PA-16 in 2012 (endorsed Kathi Cozzone)
• Craig Lehman, Lancaster County Commissioner (endorsed Kathi Cozzone)

Declined

• Erin McClelland, nominee for PA-12 in 2014 and 2016 (endorsed Fetterman)

Endorsements

Aryanna Berringer (withdrawn)
Dwan Walker, Mayor of Aliquippa

Kathi Cozzone

Organizations Chester County Democratic Committee State Representatives Carolyn Comitta John Galloway County Commissioners Kevin Barnhardt, Berks County Kevin Boozel, Butler County Ed Bustin, Bradford County Jeff Eggleston, Warren County Craig Lehman, Lancaster County Diane Marseglia, Bucks County Harlan Shober, Washington County Former Elected Officials Suzanne Fretz McCool, former Monroe County Commissioner Pam Tokar-Ickes, former Somerset County Commissioner

Madeleine Dean (withdrawn)
State Representatives Matthew Bradford Tim Briggs Mary Jo Daley Frank Dermody, Minority Leader Dan Frankel Joseph Markosek Former Elected Officials Allyson Schwartz, former U.S. Representative

John Fetterman

U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders Organizations BCTGM Local 6 Cambria County Democrats Steel City Stonewall Democrats United Steelworkers District 10 State Representatives Ed Gainey, State Representative Politicians Ross Anderson, Haverford Township Auditor Leon Angelichio, Lansdale Borough councilperson Curtis J. Antoniak, Mayor of Jeannette Peter P. Carli II, Democratic Party committeeman, Goldsboro Borough, York County Anil Dham, Royersford Borough Councilmember Amy Demchik, Royersford Borough Councilmember Chris Dietz, Millersburg Borough Council President Marita Garrett, Mayor of Wilkinsburg Daniel Gilman, former Pittsburgh city councilman and Chief of Staff to Mayor Bill Peduto Cole Goodman, Former Susquehanna Township School Board Member, State Democratic Committemember Dwayne Heisler, PA Democratic State Committee Member Steven Kline, Abington Township Commissioner Christopher Manero, Plymouth Township councilman Emily Marburger, Mayor of Bellevue Erin McClelland, nominee for PA-12 in 2014 and 2016 Alex Metricarti, Royersford Borough Councilmember Marty Miller, West Norriton Township Commissioner Joe Moskal, Royersford Borough Councilmember Tiffany Moyer, Royersford Borough Councilmember Eric Papenfuse, Mayor of Harrisburg Bill Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh Mark Pinsley, South Whitehall Township Commissioner Ed Rendell, former Governor of Pennsylvania Robin Robinson Rosenthal, PA Democratic State Committee Member Matthew Rudzki, Mayor of Sharpsburg Matt Shorraw, Mayor of Monessen Matt Stehman, Royersford Borough Council Vice President Cornell Wilson, Lebanon City Councilman Individuals: Randy Bryce, Ironworker and candidate for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana Newspapers: The Philadelphia Inquirer

Mike Stack
U.S. Representatives Bob Brady State Senators Lisa Boscola Jim Brewster Jay Costa, Minority Leader Andy Dinniman Larry Farnese Wayne Fontana Vincent Hughes Rich Kasunic Daylin Leach Judy Schwank Christine Tartaglione Anthony Williams John Yudichak Other Politicians Bobby Henon, Philadelphia City Councilman Jonathan Saidel, former Philadelphia City Controller Shirley Kitchen, former State Senator

Declined to endorse
Tom Wolf, Governor of Pennsylvania Pittsburgh DSA

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Aryanna Berringer	Kathi Cozzone	Madeleine Dean	John Fetterman	Craig Lehman	Mike Stack	Undecided
Independence Communications & Campaigns, LLC	February 2–4, 2018	467	± 4.53%	2%	10%	4%	20%	1%	8%	55%

Primary results

File:Pennsylvania lieutenant gubernatorial Democratic primary, 2018.svg

Results by county:

  Fetterman—70–80%

  Fetterman—60–70%

  Fetterman—50–60%

  Fetterman—40–50%

  Fetterman—<40%

  Ahmad—40–50%

  Ahmad—<40%

  Cozzone—60–70%

  Cozzone—<40%

  Stack—<40%

Democratic primary
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Fetterman	288,229	38.0
	Democratic	Nina Ahmad	182,309	23.8
	Democratic	Kathi Cozzone	142,410	18.6
	Democratic	Mike Stack (incumbent)	127,259	16.6
	Democratic	Ray Sosa	27,427	3.6
Total votes			767,634	100.0

Republican primary

Governor

Candidates

Nominated

• Scott Wagner, State Senator

Eliminated in primary

• Laura Ellsworth, attorney
• Paul Mango, businessman and former U.S. Army Officer

Withdrawn

• Mike Turzai, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Declined

• Paul Addis, businessman (running for U.S. Senate)
• Lou Barletta, U.S. Representative ((running for U.S. Senate)
• Jake Corman, Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania State Senate
• Mike Kelly, U.S. Representative
• Dave Reed, Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Endorsements

Laura Ellsworth
Individuals Susan Corbett, former First Lady of Pennsylvania Carly Fiorina Jim Roddey, former Chief Executive of Allegheny County County Commissioners Dan Camp, Beaver County Commissioner Newspapers The Philadelphia Inquirer The Patriot-News The Coatesville Times The Unionville Times The Daily Item

Paul Mango

U.S. Senators Tom Cotton, U.S. Senator (R-AR) Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator (R-PA) Individuals Glen Meakem, entrepreneur, and former radio host County Commissioners Jeff Haste, Dauphin County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan, Washington County Commissioner Christian Leinbach, Berks County Commissioner Joe Kantz, Snyder County Commissioner Organizations National Organization for Marriage Family Research Council Pennsylvania Pro-Life Coalition

Scott Wagner

Federal officials Donald Trump, President of the United States Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States Governors Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland U.S. Representatives Scott Perry, U.S. Representative (R-PA) State Senators Mike Regan, State Senator Donald C. White, State Senator Camera Bartolotta, State Senator Pat Stefano, State Senator Guy Reschenthaler, State Senator State Representatives Seth Grove, State Representative Keith J. Gillespie, State Representative Dawn Keefer, State Representative Kate Klunk, State Representative Kristin Phillips-Hill, State Representative Stan Saylor, State Representative County Commissioners Chris Reilly, York County Commissioner Individuals Diamond and Silk, social media personalities and political activists Organizations Pennsylvania GOP Luzerne County GOP Associated Builders and Contractors

Mike Turzai (Withdrawn)
State Senators Scott Hutchinson, State Senator State Representatives Kathy Rapp, State Representative Brian L. Ellis, State Representative Jim E. Marshall, State Representative R. Lee James, State Representative Matt Dowling, State Representative Ryan Warner, State Representative County Chairs Martha Breene, Venango County GOP Chair

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Laura Ellsworth	Paul Mango	Scott Wagner	Other	Undecided
Susquehanna Polling & Research	May 4–8, 2018	545	± 4.2%	18%	23%	37%	1%	22%
ColdSpark Media (R-Ellsworth)	May 2018	–	–	17%	24%	28%	–	30%
McLaughlin & Associates (R-Wagner)	April 2–3, 2018	500	± 4.5%	9%	24%	50%	–	17%
Revily (R-American Principles Project)	March 13–15, 2018	800	± 3.4%	4%	18%	20%	–	57%
McLaughlin & Associates (R-Wagner)	September 18–20, 2017	400	± 4.9%	–	16%	45%	–	39%
				5%	13%	45%	–	37%

Results

File:Pennsylvania gubernatorial Republican primary, 2018.svg

Results by county:

  Wagner—60–70%

  Wagner—50–60%

  Wagner—40–50%

  Mango—40–50%

  Mango—50–60%

Republican primary
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Scott Wagner	324,013	44.3
	Republican	Paul Mango	270,014	36.9
	Republican	Laura Ellsworth	137,650	18.8
Total votes			731,677	100.0

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates

Nominated

• Jeff Bartos, businessman (running with Scott Wagner)

Eliminated in primary

• Kathy Coder, political activist
• Diana Irey Vaughan, Washington County Commissioner (running with Paul Mango)
• Peg Luksik, political activist

Removed from Ballot

• Joe Gale, Montgomery County Commissioner (did not meet minimum age requirement of 30)

Withdrawn

• Gordon Denlinger, former state representative
• Otto Voit, candidate for state treasurer in 2016

Considered potential

• Dave Argall, state senator and nominee for PA-17 in 2010
• Erin Elmore, attorney, political correspondent and The Apprentice contestant

Declined

• Dan Meuser, former Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue and candidate for PA-10 in 2008 (running for PA-09)
• Justin Simmons, state representative (running for PA-15)

Endorsements

Jeff Bartos
Pennsylvania GOP

Results

File:Pennsylvania lieutenant gubernatorial Republican primary, 2018.svg

Results by county:

  Bartos—60–70%

  Bartos—50–60%

  Bartos—40–50%

  Bartos—<40%

  Coder—40–50%

  Coder—<40%

  Vaughan—70–80%

  Vaughan—50–60%

  Vaughan—40–50%

  Luksik—50–60%

  Luksik—<40%

Republican primary
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jeff Bartos	317,619	46.8
	Republican	Kathy Coder	147,805	21.8
	Republican	Diana Irey Vaughan	119,400	17.6
	Republican	Peg Luksik	93,667	13.8
Total votes			678,491	100.0

Green Party

Governor

Candidates

Nominated

• Paul Glover, community organizer

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates

Nominated

• Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick

Endorsements

Paul Glover
Patch Adams, Physician and activist

Libertarian Party

Governor

Candidates

Nominated

• Ken Krawchuk, technology consultant and nominee for governor in 1998, 2002, and 2014

Lieutenant Governor

Nominated

• Kathleen Smith, entrepreneur (Running with Ken Krawchuk)

General election

Candidates

• Tom Wolf (D), incumbent governor
• Scott Wagner (R), former state senator
• Ken Krawchuk (L), IT entrepreneur / freelance writer
• Paul Glover (G), Author / Community Organizer

Debates

• October 1, 2018: Complete video of debate (begins at 08:50)

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report	Likely D	October 16, 2018
Rothenberg Political Report	Likely D	October 12, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe D	October 18, 2018
Real Clear Politics	Safe D	November 2, 2018
Daily Kos Elections	Safe D	October 12, 2018
Fox News	Likely D	October 9, 2018
Politico	Likely D	October 9, 2018
Governing	Likely D	October 2, 2018
The Washington Post	Likely D	October 16, 2018
FiveThirtyEight	Solid D	October 17, 2018

Notes

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tom Wolf (D)	Scott Wagner (R)	Other	Undecided
Change Research	November 2–4, 2018	1,833	–	53%	42%	3%	–
Research Co.	November 1–3, 2018	450	± 4.6%	54%	39%	1%	6%
Muhlenberg College	October 28 – November 1, 2018	421	± 5.5%	58%	37%	–	–
Franklin & Marshall College	October 22–28, 2018	214 LV	± 9.5%	59%	33%	–	5%
		537 RV	± 6.0%	57%	27%	6%	10%
Morning Consult	October 1–2, 2018	1,188	± 3.0%	48%	36%	–	16%
Franklin & Marshall College	September 17–23, 2018	204 LV	–	52%	30%	–	17%
		545 RV	± 6.1%	52%	28%	2%	18%
Ipsos	September 12–20, 2018	1,080	± 3.0%	55%	38%	2%	6%
Muhlenberg College	September 13–19, 2018	404	± 5.5%	55%	36%	6%	2%
Rasmussen Reports	September 12–13, 2018	800	± 3.5%	52%	40%	3%	5%
Franklin & Marshall College	August 20–26, 2018	222 LV	–	52%	35%	1%	12%
		511 RV	± 6.1%	51%	32%	5%	14%
Marist College	August 12–16, 2018	713	± 4.2%	54%	40%	<1%	6%
Commonwealth Leaders Fund (R)	August 13–15, 2018	2,012	± 3.6%	46%	43%	3%	8%
Suffolk University	June 21–25, 2018	500	± 4.4%	49%	36%	1%	14%
Franklin & Marshall College	June 4–10, 2018	472	± 6.5%	48%	29%	1%	23%
Muhlenberg College	April 4–12, 2018	414	± 5.5%	47%	31%	5%	16%
Franklin & Marshall College	March 19–26, 2018	137	± 6.8%	38%	21%	6%	35%

Results

Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tom Wolf (incumbent)	2,895,662	57.77%	+2.84%
	Republican	Scott Wagner	2,039,809	40.70%	-4.37%
	Libertarian	Ken Krawchuk	49,229	0.98%	N/A
	Green	Paul Glover	27,792	0.55%	N/A
Total votes			5,012,582	100.0%	N/A
	Democratic hold

See also

• United States gubernatorial elections, 2018
• United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 2018

External links

• Candidates at Vote Smart
• Candidates at Ballotpedia

Debates

• GOP Primary Debate, January 20, 2018

Official gubernatorial campaign websites

• Paul Glover (G) for Governor
• Ken Krawchuk (L) for Governor
• Scott Wagner (R) for Governor
• Tom Wolf (D) for Governor

Official lieutenant gubernatorial campaign websites

• Jeff Bartos (R) for Lieutenant Governor
• John Fetterman (D) for Lieutenant Governor