1988Final results
1988 election for Pennsylvania's 8th District
U.S. House · Pennsylvania
Peter Kostmayer (D) won with 56.8% of the vote, defeating Ed Howard (R) by 15.3 points.
Peter KostmayerDemocrat · winner
56.8%128,153
Ed HowardRepublican
41.5%93,648
Donald C. ErnsbergerLibertarian
1.7%3,765
225,566 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: 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 KostmayerEd Howard
$1.2M
Raised by the campaign
$506.2K
$1.1M
Spent by the campaign
$507.7K
$77.2K
Cash on hand
$391
Other candidates' campaigns: Donald C. Ernsberger $40.7K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988