Virtually everyone who gives you money asks for something
-Ed Rendell

Gov. Ed Rendell said he will keep a $40,000 donation from a Democratic fundraiser who is wanted on a felony fraud charge in California.

In an interview published in The Wall Street Journal today, Rendell said the fundraiser, Norman Hsu, was a good friend who “has never asked me for a bloody thing – which in our business is unusual. Virtually everyone who gives you money asks for something.”

UPDATE: Now Rendell says he’ll return the money… if Hsu is convicted.  read more »

THANK YOU, Lynn Swann.

This may seem odd coming from a Daily News columnist (who doubles as a Democratic committeeman), but Lynn, you made a contribution to America as a strong, positive, African-American candidate for governor.

Sure, Lynn, you lost, and lost big, but that was pretty much a given. What wasn't known was whether you would play the race card.

You didn't.

The only time race came up in this contest was when Bill Scranton's COS made his gaffe.

Gov. Ed Rendell may have come out of Tuesday's elections with a mandate. But it's one with a fast-approaching sell-by date.

The Democratic governor will have two years, at most, to accomplish his second-term agenda before lame duck syndrome sets in and his power wanes, political observers said this week.

Second-term governorships range from ''average to pretty awful,'' said political analyst Michael Young. Longtime staffers seek new jobs, and the Legislature looks ahead toward a successor, creating discord and distractions.

''The problem with all [governors] is that they lose energy and enthusiasm in their second terms,'' Young said. ''Their attention span seems to decline, and they feel less challenged.''

My guess is that Rendell's potency will last a little longer than most. If it doesn't, he'll be out campaigning for Dems in 2008 to give him the majority to have that strength (or at least create a legacy).

Fueled by political popularity, key legislative victories and an unrivaled campaign war chest, Gov. Rendell handily beat back a challenge by Republican Lynn Swann last night to return to Harrisburg for a second term - and his final four years in elected office.

With 79 percent of the votes counted, Rendell trounced the former wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers who entered this year's campaign as a political novice, but with great promise. The governor was leading by a 3-2 ratio, dashing Swann's hopes of becoming the state's first black governor.

Shortly after 11 p.m., the governor arrived at the Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel in Center City to claim victory and greet the hundreds of cheering supporters in the hotel's ballroom who were chanting, "Eddie, Eddie" and "Four more years."

Hundreds of hands stretched toward Lynn Swann yesterday as he knelt before the altar of Mount Ararat Baptist Church.

The pastor, who had called the Republican candidate for governor forward, asked the hundreds of worshipers to pray "for his mentality, for his stability, for his family, and I want you to ask God to keep them regardless of what happens on Tuesday."

As morning light slanted through high windows, the congregation's extended applause followed Mr. Swann as he walked back to embrace his family in their pew.

"For me, [this was] a wonderful and true response of my faith and the people that I attend church with on a regular basis," he said later. "I was honored and very proud of the congregation."

This sounds like a service for the Dead Man Walking.

For the first time, Lynn Swann has interjected the issue of race in his quest to unseat Gov. Rendell and become Pennsylvania's first black governor.

In ads on three black radio stations in Philadelphia, the Republican accuses Rendell of distorting his record, and contends that it isn't the first time the governor has attacked an African American politician.

"For too long now," the ad says, "career politicians like Ed Rendell have taken us for granted. Remember how Ed Rendell attacked Mayor Goode by calling him a liar, incompetent, deceitful?... Now he's doing the same thing to another African American, Lynn Swann. It's time to stand up."

The reference is to comments Rendell made in 1987, when he unsuccessfully challenged Mayor Wilson Goode in the Democratic primary. At the time, Rendell said some of his supporters believed he should have been more critical of Goode, but he added: "I didn't hold anything back. The only thing I didn't do was call him a murderer, and I don't think he is a murderer. I called him a liar, incompetent, deceitful, a purveyor of a phony budget... all of those things."

Tip to Swanny: Micro-targeting is great (especially when you are out of money), but an issue that is 20 years old for a man that was since elected mayor (twice) and governor... well that's just not good campaigning.

For most politicians, the worst part about the job is the money they have to raise to remain in office.

Not Gov. Rendell. He loves it.

Almost three decades into his political career - and a week away from ending what he claims will be his last campaign - he has mastered the game of getting people to write large, often eye-popping, checks.

In his two campaigns for governor, he has raised more than $70 million - $30 million of that for this year's governor's race, in which he faced no primary opponent and in which he is trouncing his opponent, Republican Lynn Swann, in the polls.

He's showing no signs of slowing as the campaign winds down. In just two days last week, he raised $361,000 - that's $180,500 a day, or about $7,500 an hour.

Now it looks like Rendell is fundraising for his legacy as a party leader. With that kind of cash, the man is going to be a force in the party for years to come.

Gov. Ed Rendell has raised more than $30 million for his re-election campaign and has more than $6 million left for a final push with 10 days until the election.

Republican challenger Lynn Swann, meanwhile, raised nearly $10 million and has $540,000 left to spend, campaign finance reports show.

And

Mr. Rendell's top contributor is the Democratic Governors Association in Washington, D.C. The $258,697 given in the last reporting period brings the association's contributions to just over $1 million for the campaign.

For the Swann campaign, top financiers are Bob and Doylene Perry, of Houston, Texas, with a total of $400,000 in contributions between them. Mr. Perry, owner of Perry Homes, was a major contributor to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that in 2004 attacked presidential candidate John Kerry's Vietnam service.