Since 1950, in open-seat races for governor in which there is also a Senate race, Pennsylvania voters split their party choices four out of six times. "I don't think that I would interpret it to mean Pennsylvanians necessarily have a powerful desire to make sure neither party dominates," says Michael Hagen, associate professor of political science at Temple. "What it does mean is that Pennsylvanians are not prisoners of partisanship — not averse to splitting our tickets. So whichever candidate wins at the top of the ticket his coattails tend not to be long."