Incumbent Gov. Rendell outscores ex-Steeler

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Republican Swann won four Super Bowl rings but not the governor's job.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Gov. Ed Rendell, a big-city politician who made new friends in the most rural corners of the state, on Tuesday defeated Republican challenger Lynn Swann, a political rookie who was unable to capitalize on his star power as a Pro Football Hall-of-Famer.

Rendell, a Democrat, shrugged off a tumultuous first term that included increases in state taxes and voter backlash over a legislative pay raise with his popularity intact.

His victory was based on a statistical analysis of the vote from voter interviews conducted for The Associated Press by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.

With 24 percent of precincts reporting, Rendell had 518,317 votes, or 65 percent, and Swann had 278,437, or 35 percent.

Swann, a former wide receiver who won four Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was seeking to become Pennsylvania's first black governor. On the campaign trail, he struggled to articulate a vision for the state and Rendell outmatched him 3-to-1 in fundraising.

Surrounded

Campaigning at a commuter stop in West Philadelphia a few hours before the polls closed, Rendell was surrounded by supporters who photographed him with cell phones and asked for autographs. The former two-term Philadelphia mayor reiterated that he does not plan to run for office again.

"It's the last time, so it's a little melancholy, but it's still exciting," Rendell said.

Swann voted Tuesday morning with his wife, Charena, in Sewickley Heights, allowing their two young sons to watch as he cast his ballot. The family then had breakfast at a noncampaign event in a local bagel shop, where neighbors came up to greet him.

Wednesday, November 8, 2006