Surprisingly easy victory shocks even close aides

Harris Wofford does not like to predict elections. He thought John Kennedy, his political mentor, would win by a landslide in 1960. Kennedy barely squeaked out a victory. He and his staff also felt that he would narrowly win the Senate seat he was appointed to earlier this year. Again, Wofford was wrong. Wofford came seemingly out of nowhere to beat Thornburgh, one of Pennsylvania's most popular governors and a high-ranking member of the Bush administration until he resigned this summer to run for the seat. Wofford will continue holding the Senate seat he was appointed to last spring after John Heinz was killed in a helicopter crash. Wofford, a former Kennedy aide and Bryn Mawr College president, was a 40-point underdog coming into the race. But with a campaign stressing domestic issues, especially national health care, Wofford was able to build name recognition and emerged with a 12-point victory that made him the first Democrat to win a Pennsylvania Senate seat in 23 years. "Tonight, let's celebrate, and tomorrow let's do the work," Wofford told an euphoric crowd of supporters when he claimed victory at about 11:30 p.m., prompting them to chant his name, cheer and exchange handshakes, high-fives and hugs. Experts predicted in the last few days that Wofford would do well in the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but as vote counts began coming in from suburban counties, it gradually became apparent that Wofford would win, and by a large margin. "This is going to be a rout," James Carville, Wofford's star consultant, predicted at 10 p.m. as the first results started to come in. Thornburgh, who ran as a Washington insider coming back home to claim a Senate seat he felt he deserved, instead suffered what he appropriately called a "reversal." The campaign was unusual in that the incumbent Wofford was able to use disatisfaction with the current government as a weapon against his challenger. "The luckiest moment was when my opponent came back from Washington and gave the reason to send him back to Washington -- he wanted to go back to the corridors of power where he walked and continue the policies that he'd been carrying out," Wofford said at about 10 p.m. from his suite at the Wyndham-Franklin Plaza hotel. By using this anti-Washington feeling, Wofford pulled off one of the most stunning victories in Pennsylvania history. "I just think it's the winds of the times," Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Minn) said from Wofford's suite. "I just think he tapped into this feeling people have that things have got to change, and I think he's a candidate who will change things." In recent weeks, as Wofford narrowed the gap between Thornburgh and himself, the race attracted national attention. Many viewed the race as a test case for Democratic strategy for future races and some experts last night called Thornburgh's loss a defeat for President Bush, Thornburgh's friend and ally. "The people of Pennsylvania have sent a message that will be heard at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," Wofford said. "Bush better get his act together," added Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel. "Instead of paying attention to the Turks and Kurds, he should pay attention to steelworkers and secretaries." Bob Barnett, executive director of the state Democratic Party, supported this view. "The hole that Bush is falling into is getting deeper," he said. Even Republican Arlen Specter, the state's senior senator, said Wofford's victory hurt the Republicans. "This requires a re-evaluation by the party," Specter admitted at Philadelphia mayoral candidate Joseph Egan's election night reception. "It puts figures on the scoreboard for Bush to change his message." "It's a blow to the party," he added.

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