The 1946 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1946. Republican Party nominee James H. Duff defeated Democratic Party nominee John S. Rice to become Governor of Pennsylvania.^[1] As of 2023^[update], this was the last time Philadelphia County voted for the Republican candidate.

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

1946 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

← 1942 November 5, 1946 (1946-11-05) 1950 →

Nominee Jim Duff John Rice Party Republican Democratic Running mate Dan Strickler John Dent Popular vote 1,828,462 1,270,947 Percentage 58.53% 40.68%

County results Duff:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Rice:      40–50%      50–60%

Governor before election John Bell Republican Elected Governor Jim Duff Republican

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The endorsed candidates for the two major parties each won by large margins, with Duff earning over three-quarters of the vote against outgoing Secretary of Highways John Shroyer of Shamokin and Rice winning by a similar margin over Mahanoy City businessman Henry Morris.

A close confidant of popular outgoing Governor Ed Martin, who was running for a US Senate seat, Duff was the clear favorite throughout the campaign. Duff ran as a moderate progressive but also as a hardline anti-communist. He promised to address the key topic of labor strife by limiting strikes and cracking down on union criminal activity while concurrently increasing the minimum wage. Duff also vowed to spur innovation amongst the state's fragmented local governments.