Democratic Pa. Gov. Rendell secures his second term

Democratic incumbent Gov. Ed Rendell easily secured a second term in office last night, the conclusion of what he has said is his last campaign.

Rendell, a 1965 Penn graduate and the mayor of Philadelphia from 1992 to 1999, scored a victory over Republican challenger and political newcomer Lynn Swann.

"I am truly honored by this tremendous victory and by the overwhelming vote of confidence that the people of Pennsylvania have given me," Rendell declared in his victory speech last night at the Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel in Center City.

Sixty percent of Pennsylvanians pulled the lever for Rendell, while Swann - a Hall of Fame NFL receiver and a businessman - garnered 40 percent of the vote, according to CNN exit polls.

The election proved to be slightly less lopsided than recent polls had indicated. The average of Pollster.com's last five pre-election polls had revealed 59 percent of likely voters supporting Rendell and 36 percent supporting Swann.

Rendell's noticeable lead going into yesterday's election caused many of the staff members and supporters packed into the lavish, Rendell paraphernalia-bedecked ballroom to turn their attention to the other major races taking place across the country. Large crowds clustered around TVs tuned to C-SPAN and MSNBC, erupting in wild applause when certain campaign results were displayed.

When Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum delivered his concession speech, jubilant shouts of "you're fired!" and "Santorum's gone!" resounded around the room. A group of women began singing, "Hey, hey, hey, goodbye."

When Rendell finally took the stage at about 11 p.m. - accompanied by rowdy chants of "Eddie" and "four more years" - he made a point of addressing the significant Democratic gains in the House and the Senate as well as the current race.

Today, "Pennsylvanians voted overwhelmingly for a government that cares deeply for the people and is willing to invest whatever it takes to protect its most vulnerable citizens," Rendell said.

Substitute teacher Ronique Godwin arrived at the corner of 20th and the Ben Franklin Parkway at 7 in the morning yesterday to hold up signs for Rendell. Godwin, who is black, said she cast her vote based on merit rather than race.

The Republicans "put up a black candidate because they think black people will just vote for him because he's black," she said, referring to Rendell challenger Lynn Swann. "But we want the best candidate regardless of race, color or creed."

Kirk Wilson, the Republican mayor of Carlisle, Pa., said he supported Rendell because he believes Rendell is the first Pennsylvania governor in the last thirty years who has "understood the needs of cities and towns.

Though Rendell mentioned neither Swann nor specific initiatives in his victory speech, he said he was ready to start making good on the promises he had made during the election campaign.

"Let's have a great celebration tonight, you're even allowed to celebrate through the weekend," Rendell said. "But on Monday we have to go back to work because the problems in Pennsylvania don't take a holiday, and neither should we."

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