Edward Rendell

Ed Rendell has a proven track record of getting big things done. He’s tackled tough issues from education reform to taxes, to creating jobs, and his leadership skills were taken to a national level when he served as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and chaired the National Governor’s Association.

As Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 – 2011, Rendell served two terms as chief executive of the nation’s sixth-most populous state and oversaw a $28.3 billion budget. Committed to making government more responsible to the public and more responsive to the public’s needs, Governor Rendell cut wasteful spending and improved efficiency to save more than $1 billion, and pursued a legislative agenda that included commonsense political reforms to put progress ahead of partisanship. His unprecedented strategic investments energized Pennsylvania’s economy, revitalized communities, improved education, protected the environment and expanded access to health care for all children and affordable prescription drugs for older adults. Under Governor Rendell’s leadership, Pennsylvania’s economy rebounded sharply. When he became Governor, the commonwealth faced a projected deficit of $2.4 billion. As one of his first acts, Governor Rendell cut government spending to close that deficit and implemented programs and policies to apply business principles of productivity and cost-savings to the operation of state government.

As Mayor of Philadelphia from 1992 – 1999, he led what The New York Times called “the most stunning turnaround in recent urban history.” As the subject of the book, Prayer for the City by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Buzz Bissinger, Rendell was called “one of America’s best, most interesting mayors.” Before serving as Mayor, Rendell was elected district attorney of the City of Philadelphia for two terms from 1978 through 1985. Rendell also served as general chair of the Democratic National Committee during the 2000 Presidential election, and teaches government and politics courses at the University of Pennsylvania. An Army veteran, he holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from the Villanova Law School.