1996Final results
1996 election for Pennsylvania's 5th District
U.S. House · Pennsylvania
John Peterson (R) won with 60.3% of the vote, defeating Ruth C. Rudy (D) by 20.6 points.
John PetersonRepublican · winner
60.3%116,303
Ruth C. RudyDemocrat
39.7%76,627
193,003 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 1996
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.
Ruth C. RudyJohn Peterson
$451.1K
Raised by the campaign
$866.2K
$446.6K
Spent by the campaign
$864.9K
$4.3K
Cash on hand
$1.3K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996