Candidates •
Pete Flaherty,
Mayor of Pittsburgh (Democratic) •
Richard Schweiker, incumbent U.S. Senator (Republican) • George W. Shankey (Constitution)
Campaign In the general election campaign, Schweiker faced popular Pittsburgh mayor
Peter Flaherty. Both candidates, as highlighted by a
New York Times article, "[took] firm stands against inflation, recession, big spending by the Federal Government and
abortion on demand." Schweiker, who was endorsed by the
AFL–CIO, distanced himself from the
Richard Nixon administration, specifically the
Watergate scandal, by emphasizing his early calls for Nixon's resignation and the fact that he was on Nixon's "enemies list." In the end, Schweiker won re-election with 53% of the popular vote, with Flaherty winning 45.9%. Schweiker carried 53 of Pennsylvania's counties, a decrease from the 59 counties he carried in the
1968 election. Flaherty had a strong showing in
Allegheny County, which contains his home town of Pittsburgh, which Schweiker had won in 1968. The final election results represented a political divide between the eastern and western portions of the state, Schweiker in the east and Flaherty in the west, with the exception of Flaherty's slim 4,491 vote victory in
Philadelphia.
Results == See also ==