1986Final results
1986 election for Pennsylvania's 8th District
U.S. House · Pennsylvania
Peter Kostmayer (D) won with 55.0% of the vote, defeating David A. Christian (R) by 10.1 points.
Peter KostmayerDemocrat · winner
55.0%85,731
David A. ChristianRepublican
45.0%70,047
155,778 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1986
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Peter KostmayerDavid A. Christian
$693.6K
Raised by the campaign
$353K
$682.5K
Spent by the campaign
$353.2K
$20.9K
Cash on hand
$4.9K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986; FEC, through Nov 24, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986