| Election Name: | 1990 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Pennsylvania |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1986 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1986 |
| Next Election: | 1994 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1994 |
| Image1: | File:Bob Casey 1986.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Bob Casey |
| Running Mate1: | Mark Singel |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 2,065,244 |
| Percentage1: | 67.6% |
| Nominee2: | Barbara Hafer |
| Running Mate2: | Harold Mowery |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 987,516 |
| Percentage2: | 32.3% |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Robert P. Casey |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Robert P. Casey |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1990 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic governor Robert P. Casey easily defeated Republican Barbara Hafer. Governor Casey defeated Hafer by a margin of 35.29%, and carried 66 out of 67 Pennsylvania counties.
This was the first election since 1974 that a Democrat carried Bucks County, the first since 1906 that a Democrat won Chester County, the first since 1829 that a Democrat won Delaware County, and the last time as of 2023 that a Democrat won York County.
Casey achieved the second-largest gubernatorial landslide in the state in the 20th century (and the largest victory for a Democrat), losing only Montgomery County by just 586 votes.[1]
Incumbent Bob Casey was challenged by Philip J. Berg, an attorney and perennial candidate from Montgomery County. Endorsed Republican candidate Barbara Hafer, Auditor General and former candidate for Lt. Governor, won a surprisingly close race over Peg Luksik, an outspoken opponent of abortion rights.
Casey had maintained enormous popularity in the state,[2] was considered to have a generally positive record from his first term as governor, and was endorsed by major newspapers statewide, including The Philadelphia Inquirer.[3] In addition, Casey had the traditionally strong backing of urban voters and organized labor, and performed well in many heavily Republican, rural counties, as he was seen as a relatively conservative populist.
The campaign briefly turned ugly when Hafer, a pro-choice Republican who had attempted to position herself as the more liberal candidate, referred to Casey as a "redneck Irishman." Her comment, which was widely reported, helped to alienate both rural voters and those of Irish descent. Unable to gain a funding foothold or to carve out a strong public image, and trailing in the polls by forty percent on election day,[4] Hafer was subsequently defeated by Casey by a large margin.[5]
| Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1990[6] [7] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Democratic | Bob Casey (incumbent) | Mark Singel (incumbent) | 2,065,244 | 67.63% | ||
| Republican | Barbara Hafer | Harold Mowery | 987,463 | 32.34% | ||
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 906 | 0.03% | |||
| Totals | 3,053,666 | 100.00% | ||||
| Voter turnout (Voting age population) | 53.96% | |||||