Pennsylvania: Candidate ex Machina

During his uphill struggle for Pennsylvania's Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Millionaire Milton Shapp relied heavily on the man-v.-machine theme—and indeed wound up snatching victory from the organization candidate. In the last days of the general election contest, Shapp's Republican opponent, Lieutenant Governor Raymond Shafer, also found himself fighting a machine—in his case, the television set.

In an all-out effort to offset Shapp's lavishly financed campaign, two of the state's most popular Republicans—Governor William Scranton, who helped nominate Shafer as his successor, and Senator Hugh Scott—have marched up and down the Keystone State...