"[2] Nicknamed "America's Mayor" by Al Gore,[3] Rendell served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee during the 2000 presidential election.

He left office in 2011 due to term limits, and released a book, A Nation of Wusses: How America's Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great, the following year.

[4] He attended Riverdale Country School before the University of Pennsylvania, where he joined the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity[5] in 1962 and earned a BA degree in 1965.

[9] He was defeated in the Democratic gubernatorial primary by Bob Casey, Sr.[10] In 1982, during his second term, Rendell presided over the controversial prosecution of Mumia Abu-Jamal, resulting in a death sentence that was overturned in 2011.

The 1985 bombing of the Black religious community MOVE by the Philadelphia police also occurred during Rendell's tenure and killed 6 adults plus 5 children and caused a fire that left hundreds of neighbors homeless.

Rendell's cost-cutting policies brought him strong opposition from labor unions; however, he was re-elected in 1995, defeating Republican Joe Rocks with 80% of the vote.

The New York Times called Rendell's job as mayor "the most stunning turnaround in recent urban history" due to his determination, inspiration, ambition, and his energy.

[24] The plan proposed using slot machine revenue to reduce taxes by $1 billion[25] and included $687 million in increased education funding.

[citation needed] In his first year, Rendell created the Office of Management and Productivity with the goal of cutting $1 billion in administrative expenses by the end of his first term.

One of the most widely touted successes from Rendell's productivity initiative was strategic sourcing in which he overhauled the Commonwealth's antiquated procurement system, leading to $180 million in annual savings[28] and a quadrupling of Pennsylvania's minority- and women- owned business participation rate.

[29] Casinelli expressed his view on the tax increase proposal by saying, "it seems like every time the state needs money, they come to alcohol or tobacco, and, frankly, it's not fair.

[33] However, in 2007, following news that Governor Corzine of New Jersey was in an accident in a state trooper-driven vehicle that was traveling in excess of 90 mph, Rendell was quoted as saying "I've told my troopers that I don't want them exceeding 80 unless they need to pass or unless there's some real exigent circumstance."

[34] In early 2005, Rendell made statements that seemed to support President George W. Bush's Social Security privatization proposal.

Rendell addressed this issue in later speeches, saying that he opposes social security privatization, and that his previous comments were meant to show admiration for President Bush for taking on a politically risky subject.

In the early morning hours of July 7, 2005, Ed Rendell signed a bill into law that increased pay for state lawmakers, judges, and top executive-branch officials.

[36] During his re-election campaign, Rendell was instrumental in the successful Senate candidacy of Bob Casey, Jr. who had run against him for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2002.

[38] In 2007, as a residual effect of the potent political power the pay raise issue had in central and western Pennsylvania, Rendell stepped up criticism of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) and its executive salaries and expenses, following published newspaper reports, in an effort to leverage PHEAA's profits from federal student loan revenues to help finance the Commonwealth's need-based state grant program for undergraduate post-secondary education (both for grants and for the administration of the program).

It eventually took on student loan servicing arrangements which generated non-public revenues which then were used, in part, to dramatically increase executive salaries.

[43] Rendell then attempted to force New Jersey to back the project by exercising his Delaware River Port Authority board chairman power.

[43] In December 2008, Rendell received criticism for stating that Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano was "perfect" for the role of Secretary of Homeland Security because, "...for that job, you have to have no life.

[49] Although the decision was made by an agency of the Executive branch, a bi-partisan group of Pennsylvania's members of the U.S. House of Representatives were on the record against tolling Route 80.

[51] Rendell's popularity, particularly in the suburban ring of counties around Philadelphia, was a key to Kerry's victory in Pennsylvania, one of the most hotly contested swing states in the 2004 presidential election.

[citation needed] On January 24, 2008, Rendell announced his endorsement of Hillary Clinton in her race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"[citation needed] As one of Hillary Clinton's staunchest supporters, Rendell argued that many media outlets' coverage of her campaign were biased.

[54] After Clinton dropped out of the race, Rendell endorsed Senator Barack Obama in June 2008 and made several campaign appearances on his behalf.

[62] Also in 2011, Rendell reportedly acted as a go-between for Range Resources Corp, an oil and gas exploration and production company, and then United States EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, regarding a Texas water contamination case; and has been a vocal proponent of shale gas extraction as part of a United States energy strategy.

[65] His wife, Marjorie Rendell, is a Federal judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit who was appointed by President Bill Clinton.

[70] He even made a friendly wager on the outcome of Super Bowl XXXIX, promising to wear a New England Patriots jersey and sing the national anthem at a Philadelphia 76ers/Boston Celtics game if the Eagles lost, which they did.

[71] He would lose similar friendly wagers with the Governor of New York, David Paterson, in supporting the Philadelphia Phillies on their quest to defend their 2008 championship against the New York Yankees in 2009 and again with Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, in supporting the Philadelphia Flyers in the quest to win the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.

In 2006, he won a bet with the Governor of Washington, Christine Gregoire in supporting the Pittsburgh Steelers in their quest to win Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks 21–10.