Rendell digging into job after Tuesday win

Now that Ed Rendell has been elected governor of Pennsylvania, state residents are waiting to see how well a Philadelphian will fare in Harrisburg, and how far he can push his Democratic agenda through Republican control.

Rendell, a Penn alumnus and the Democratic former mayor of Philadelphia, beat Republican Mike Fisher, the state attorney general, by about eight percentage points last night. He will be the first governor from Philadelphia in 90 years.

He campaigned on the "Philadelphia story," the idea that he vastly improved the city when he was mayor -- and that he can do the same for Pennsylvania. Among other promises, Rendell has said he will increase state funding for education, reduce property taxes and improve prescription drug coverage for senior citizens.

But perhaps foremost among the questions surrounding Rendell's impending governorship is whether he will be able to push that agenda through a Republican-controlled state legislature. As mayor of Philadelphia, he gained a reputation for working with City Council members to get things done -- but Council, though combative, was dominated by Democrats.

Rendell had hoped -- and others predicted -- that Democratic candidates for the state Senate and House would ride into office on his coattails and possibly change the balance of power in the legislature, but that did not happen.

"All that talk about coattails didn't work," Penn Political Science Professor Henry Teune said. "He has the opposition party in control, so it's going to be difficult.... He can't do anything by himself. It'll have to be give-and-take."

Rendell himself is optimistic about his chances of convincing the state House and Senate to make the changes he feels Pennsylvania needs.

"We will work what is obviously a Republican-dominated legislature to create a new mood in Harrisburg," he said yesterday.

And Penn Political Science Department Chairman Jack Nagel said Rendell's formidable political skills will help him win legislators to his side.

"It's going to be harder for him, but he's a very skilled politician and he did a very good job of working with Council," Nagel said.

Rendell is starting early. Already, he has sent letters to Gov. Mark Schweiker, a Republican, as well as to state House and Senate leaders, asking them not to drop 26,000 seniors from the state's prescription drug plan at the end of the year. The seniors are due to be dropped because their incomes or Social Security benefits are too high.

Rendell will almost certainly have two terms to convince the legislature to do what he wants, according to Annenberg Public Policy Fellow David Eisenhower. Pennsylvania has a nearly 50-year tradition of switching which party controls the governorship every eight years.

"It would be exceptional if he was in for one term," Eisenhower said. "He'll have the opportunity to develop a long-range program."

Eisenhower said last night's victory for Rendell may have ramifications for the 2004 presidential election since Pennsylvania is a swing state. If a state has a Democratic governor, it is more likely that the state will go for the Democratic presidential candidate, which is bad news for President Bush.

He also pointed out that Rendell's win may focus more statewide attention on Penn, integrating it into Pennsylvania more.

Rendell has "a chance to revitalize Pennsylvania and connect the University of Pennsylvania to this state," Eisenhower said, adding that Penn tends to see itself more as a part of the Boston-Washington corridor than as a part of Pennsylvania in general.

"Having a Penn man in the governor's chair, [the University] should be getting a lot of attention," he said.

Rendell has said that he will look to Penn to fill seats in his government.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.