despite president john f. kennedy's work on his behalf, dilworth lost the fall general election by a half million votes to progressive republican congressman bill scranton, in what scholars considered "one of the bitterest [campaigns] in pennsylvania history." scranton had run for governor (with fellow progressive raymond p. shafer for lieutenant governor) after a deeply divisive republican primary involving philadelphia republican boss billy meehan's candidate, judge robert e. woodside; and five other candidates. republicans also carried both houses of the state legislature in that landslide election.