Editing Ed Rendell (section)

==2002 gubernatorial campaign==
{{Main|2002 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election}}
When he announced his intent to seek the Democratic nomination for governor of Pennsylvania, he did so without the backing of the state party. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party threw their support behind [[Bob Casey Jr.]], son of recently deceased former Governor [[Bob Casey Sr.]], whom the party saw as a more electable candidate against the liberal Rendell. In a bitter primary, Rendell won the nomination by winning only 10 out of 67 counties: Philadelphia; its suburbs: Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, and Delaware; its exurbs: Berks, Lancaster, Lehigh, and Northampton; and Centre County, the home of [[Pennsylvania State University|Penn State University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID%3D15%26ElectionID%3D6%26OfficeID%3D3|title=Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information|access-date=2011-09-20|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117220216/http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=15&ElectionID=6&OfficeID=3|archive-date=2012-01-17}}</ref> In the November 2002 gubernatorial election, he defeated [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Pennsylvania Attorney General|State Attorney General]] [[D. Michael Fisher|Mike Fisher]], garnering 53 percent of the vote to Fisher's 44 percent.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID%3D12%26ElectionID%3D7|title=Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information|access-date=2008-05-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515030551/http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=12&ElectionID=7|archive-date=2008-05-15}}</ref> Rendell won not only [[Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia County]], which is heavily Democratic, but also traditionally Republican suburbs of Philadelphia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID%3D15%26ElectionID%3D7%26OfficeID%3D3#Bucks |title=Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information |access-date=2016-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504015900/http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=15&ElectionID=7&OfficeID=3 |archive-date=2012-05-04 }}</ref> largely due to his popularity as mayor of Philadelphia. These traditionally Republican voters who backed Rendell were called ''Rendellicans'' in other parts of the state and were a key part of the success of his campaign.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_85386.html|title='Rendellicans' cross party lines - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review|access-date=2016-02-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211153848/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_85386.html|archive-date=2008-12-11}}</ref>

In a 2002 [[PoliticsPA]] [[feature story]] designating politicians with [[Yearbook|yearbook superlatives]], he was named the "Most Likely to Succeed."<ref name=yearbook>{{cite web|title=Keystone State Yearbook Committee|work=[[PoliticsPA]]|publisher=The Publius Group|year=2001|url=http://www.politicspa.com/yearbookcommittee.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020803170058/http://www.politicspa.com/yearbookcommittee.htm|archive-date=2002-08-03}}</ref> His campaign website was described as having "cutting edge in design for a political site."<ref name=bestweb>{{cite web|last=Drulis|first=Michael|title=Best & Worst Websites|work= [[PoliticsPA]]|publisher=The Publius Group|year=2002|url=http://www.politicspa.com/FEATURES/websites.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021017215729/http://www.politicspa.com/FEATURES/websites.htm|archive-date=2002-10-17}}</ref>