1988Final results
1988 election for Pennsylvania's 23rd District
U.S. House · Pennsylvania
William Clinger (R) won with 62.0% of the vote, defeating Howard Shakespeare (D) by 24.7 points.
William ClingerRepublican · winner
62.0%105,575
Howard ShakespeareDemocrat
37.3%63,476
William SmolikOther party
0.7%1,109
170,160 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 1988
Races before and after
Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Howard ShakespeareWilliam Clinger
$108.1K
Raised by the campaign
$405.3K
$106.5K
Spent by the campaign
$336.8K
$1.6K
Cash on hand
$73.8K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988