William H. Milliken, Jr. - The 1962 Mid-term Election

The 1962 Mid-term Election

By the fall of 1962, President Kennedy's popularity with the voters was still relatively high, but some Democrats were worried that the party would suffer the usual mid-term loss. In Pennsylvania, there was some friction in the Republican ranks regarding hammering out the ticket for governor and U.S. Senator. The News reported that McClure himself had taken the role of peace-maker and was trying to prevent a primary contest. When the dust had settled, the party had decided on the ticket of Congressman William Scranton of Lackawanna County for the open governor's chair and Congressman James VanZandt of Blair County to challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Joe Clark. Meanwhile, in addition to supporting Clark for a second term, the Democrats endorsed Philadelphia Mayor Richardson Dilworth to succeed Governor Lawrence. (At that time, Pennsylvania governors were limited by the state constitution to one term only.)

With two liberal Democrats from Philadelphia heading the statewide ticket, in addition to a liberal Democrat in the White House, Republicans gleefully went on the attack. The favorite issue raised was a familiar one: the likelihood of annexation of Delaware County by the City of Philadelphia. In April, Milliken spoke in Washington to some 300 members of the Delaware County Women's Republican Club, declaring that if Dilworth was elected "...we will have become a part of Philadelphia before his term as governor is up." He further elaborated that if the Democrats win, it "will be the beginning of the end of home rule" for the county and the election will be a "fight for survival for Delaware County". He was joined by Scranton, who strongly supported Milliken's reelection, emphasizing that the latter had been named to the House appropriations committee at a time when fiscal conservatism was important. VanZandt joined in, predicting a "voters' rebellion" that will spell victory for the GOP.

By the fall, the campaign rhetoric had heated up and became even more absurd and exaggerated. On September 24, at another Women's Republican Club function at the Alpine Inn in Springfield, Scranton's solution to crime in Philadelphia was evidently to blame Dilworth for a "reign of terror" in the city "that stops women and children ... from walking even one block to go to the store." Adding further to the fear tactics, Congressman VanZandt charged that Clark was "soft on Communism". Milliken added the only sensible point: "If this country continues spending as it is doing, it will spend itself into bankruptcy."

Meanwhile, the Democratic candidate for Congress, Chester attorney John A. Reilly, went on the attack, accusing Milliken of "double talk" and expecting to win due to the "complacency of Delaware County voters. I feel they are entitled to learn that Milliken has done nothing constructive in Washington and that he is no more than a puppet for his Chester bosses." He also decried Milliken's raising of "phony issues such as annexation". On October 4, the Upper Darby GOP committee issued a statement: "If the voters of Upper Darby Township want to stop Philadelphia at 63rd Street, they can do so by voting a straight Republican ticket this fall." Meanwhile, in response to Reilly's call for debates, Milliken said that his busy schedule made it impossible to debate. Reilly, in turn, said that the incumbent congressman was "full of phony excuses" and "afraid of the voters".

On October 14, Clark was referred to as the "father of the idea of annexation of Delaware County to Philadelphia" by Milliken. Finally, the Democrats were moved to respond in a fury. Upper Darby Democratic chairman Joseph J. Helyenek charged that the county GOP was attempting to set up "an unjust and filthy equation: Democratic victory means annexation... annexation means invasion (of the suburbs) by hordes of unwelcome colored people." Continuing the low-blows of the campaign, VanZandt spoke at the Young Republican annual picnic at the Springfield Country Club, calling Senator Clark "a left-winger, soft on Cuba, Red China and Communism". Clark responded: "This is the first time in Pennsylvania political history that the red smear has been used as a major issue in a statewide campaign." He urged voters to elect Democrats "to give President Kennedy a Congress that will help him, not hamstring him."

On October 23, Dilworth campaigned on 69th Street, denouncing his favorite target, McClure, and his "outright lies". He then really ventured deeply into "enemy" territory by visiting the county Courthouse in Media where he was booed and hissed by some county employees who were giving out GOP literature. County Commission chairman Watkins objected to the visit, stating that it would "disrupt the work of our employees". Dilworth replied by asking: "What work? What employees?" He then blasted McClure, stating that Scranton had been hand-picked by the head of the War Board, who also kept Delaware County "isolated" and out of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Compact because "the Federal government won't pay him off and he doesn't go into anything unless there is a payoff involved". Denying charges that he favored annexation of the suburbs, Dilworth said he favored voluntary cooperation between cities and suburbs.

When the furious election activity came to an end and the voters went to the polls, the result was mixed on the statewide level. Eight years of Democratic rule of the governor's mansion ended with Scranton's lopsided victory over Dilworth, 2.4 million votes to 1.9 million. But voters continued their ticket-splitting habit that began statewide in 1956, by reelecting Clark narrowly over VanZandt, 2.2 million votes to 2.1 million, about 51%. With the state losing three congressional seats due to reapportionment, the Republicans had a net loss of two seats in the election, while the Democrats lost one, but the lineup was still in favor of the GOP, 14 to 13.

Nationally, with the Cuban missile crisis unfolding late in October and the nation rallying behind their chief executive, the Democrats actually gained three seats in the Senate and lost only five in the House, with the GOP gaining one seat. With reapportionment, the size of the House of Representatives, which had temporarily been increased to 437 members, with the recent statehood of Alaska and Hawaii, was decreased to 435, where it remains today.

Locally, Milliken coasted to a huge victory, 136,955 to Reilly's 88,482. Scranton carried Delaware County by an even greater margin, 142,262 to 84,221. While some ticket-splitting gave VanZandt a smaller edge of 36,000 over Clark. Scranton's brand of moderate Republicanism, the genuine suburban fear of city problems spilling over county lines, plus a well-financed campaign war chest, enabled him to score particularly well in Dilworth's Philadelphia, with a respectable 339,790 votes to the Mayor's 446,528. Scranton then piled up a whopping 392,869 votes in the suburbs to Dilworth's 219,991, more than neutralizing the Democrats' lead in the city. Scranton also did particularly well in normally Democratic western Pennsylvania, carrying Allegheny County by over 50,000 votes, as well as Beaver, Lawrence and Westmoreland counties.