1978 Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Election

Pennsylvania · 2 candidates · See every 1978 Governor race

Who won the 1978 Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Election?

Dick Thornburgh won the 1978 Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Election. Dick Thornburgh received 1,966,042 popular votes (52.54%). The main challenger was Pete Flaherty (46.44%).

See the full head-to-head between Thornburgh and Flaherty

Thornburgh +6.1 pts · won by 228,154 votes

Dick Thornburgh RepublicanWINNER52.54%

1,966,042 votes

Pete Flaherty Democratic46.44%

1,737,888 votes

Other candidates received the remaining 1.0% of the popular vote; only the leading candidates are individually recorded for this election.

Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.