Governor Casey was empowered to appoint an interim Senator to fill the vacant seat until a successor could be duly elected in November, as required by statute.

[citation needed] After Heinz's death, the Republican Party scheduled a statewide meeting on May 11 to choose their nominee, subject to the result of a series of regional caucuses.

The initial candidate of choice was Heinz's widow Teresa, though she would decline on April 23, citing a desire to continue the healing process and remain committed to her family.

[12] Casey offered the seat to Lieutenant General Thomas W. Kelly, who retired from active duty in April and was the public face of the popular Gulf War as head of the Pentagon's National Military Command Center.

Representatives William H. Gray and John Murtha, Pittsburgh lawyer Art Rooney II, and Superior Court Judge Kate Ford Elliott were also mentioned as potential appointments.

Both the state and national Democratic establishment were tepid toward Wofford, feeling that Casey had missed a prime opportunity to select a top tier candidate.

Wofford struggled to fundraise and had difficulty communicating his message to the voters; because he had a bureaucratic as opposed to a political background, he was long-winded and received criticism in the media.

Despite his elite upbringing, Wofford connected well with working class voters by making healthcare access the major plank of his campaign.

[16][17] Wofford was not only victorious in traditionally Democratic areas, such as Philadelphia city, Scranton, and metro Pittsburgh, but he also ran well in Republican strongholds.

The Los Angeles Times described Wofford's victory and as the "Pennsylvania miracle" and later noted in December 1991 that many Democratic presidential candidates now wanted Carville and his partner Paul Begala to be involved in their campaigns.