However, owing to a nationwide recession which hit the state particularly hard, and a backlash to Reaganomics, the final result ended up becoming much closer than what was initially anticipated.

As other governors struggled amidst a nationwide Democratic election cycle, Thornburgh maintained high approval ratings, in part due to his response to crises such as the Three Mile Island accident.

Ertel struggled early with fundraising and, because of his residence in heavily Republican Central Pennsylvania, lacked a base among the state's strongest Democratic constituents: urban voters and organized labor.

[7] However, Ertel ran a relatively mediocre campaign and hurt his chances with several gaffes, such as accusing the governor of exploiting his disabled son's condition for political gain, and most significantly, refusing to release the previous 7 years his income taxes to avoid being "whipsawed" by charities.

[7] Ertel, being from Central Pennsylvania managed to perform quite well for a Democrat in the area, keeping the margins close, while also flipping counties that Thornburgh won 4 years prior.