Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2002
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 2002 was held on November 5, 2002, and included the races for the governor and lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania
.
resigned to become Secretary of Homeland Security), he chose not to seek his party's nomination. Despite polls showing that Schweiker polled well among the same groups that backed Ridge, the Republican establishment considered Schweiker to be a weak candidate and stood steadfast behind Fisher.
In the Democratic primary, Mayor of Philadelphia Ed Rendell
defeated Pennsylvania Auditor General
Bob Casey, Jr.
, bucking the "myth that a Philadelphian could never win" a state-wide election. Despite strong support from organized labor for Casey, lackluster campaigning, combined with Rendell's ability to cast himself as a strong executive allowed him to pull out a primary win.
praised Rendell's campaign team of David L. Cohen
, David W. Sweet
, and Sandi Vito
.
Rendell was the first official from Philadelphia to win a spot in the governor's mansion since 1914. Although Fisher emphasized Rendell's Philadelphia roots continuously during his campaign, and described the mayor as an urban liberal whose programs would require huge tax increases, his strategy backfired; in much of Eastern Pennsylvania, voters instead related to Rendell, and he was thus able to win by huge margins in even many traditionally GOP suburbs http://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=1998+ridge+itkin&source=bl&ots=AK6b-Ut25d&sig=ln8QefiZodyBTkRiIzEYxTt21Ro&hl=en&ei=cPjETOLTOoOglAenj8EH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=1998%20ridge%20itkin&f=false
Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
The Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Lieutenant Governor is elected every four years along with the Governor. Jim Cawley of Bucks County is the incumbent Lieutenant Governor...
.
Gubernatorial Primaries
Attorney General Mike Fisher ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Although incumbent Governor Mark Schweiker was eligible to run for reelection (he had served only a partial term after Tom RidgeTom Ridge
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
resigned to become Secretary of Homeland Security), he chose not to seek his party's nomination. Despite polls showing that Schweiker polled well among the same groups that backed Ridge, the Republican establishment considered Schweiker to be a weak candidate and stood steadfast behind Fisher.
In the Democratic primary, Mayor of Philadelphia Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
defeated Pennsylvania Auditor General
Pennsylvania Auditor General
The Pennsylvania Auditor General is the chief fiscal officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1850. The current Auditor General of Pennsylvania is Jack Wagner.- History :...
Bob Casey, Jr.
Bob Casey, Jr.
Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Jr. is the senior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as Pennsylvania Treasurer, and Pennsylvania Auditor General. He is the son of former Governor Bob Casey, Sr..He is the first Democrat elected to a full term in...
, bucking the "myth that a Philadelphian could never win" a state-wide election. Despite strong support from organized labor for Casey, lackluster campaigning, combined with Rendell's ability to cast himself as a strong executive allowed him to pull out a primary win.
Campaign
Rendell defeated Fisher with "endless retail politicking" and a hard-working campaign. The political website PoliticsPAPoliticsPA
- Content :The website focuses on news aggregation, linking to major political news making headlines across the state. The editors write occasional features, like the weekly "Up & Down" scorecard and one-off lists like "Harrisburg's Smartest Staffer" and "Best Dressed Lobbyist" lists...
praised Rendell's campaign team of David L. Cohen
David L. Cohen
David L. Cohen is a businessman, attorney, and political figure in Pennsylvania. He is best known for being a close confidant of Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell...
, David W. Sweet
David W. Sweet
David W. Sweet is an attorney and former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.He earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1970, a M.A. from University of Chicago in 1971, and a J.D...
, and Sandi Vito
Sandi Vito
Sandi Vito was the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, a cabinet-level department in the Government of Pennsylvania. She was named Acting Secretary of Labor and Industry in February 2008, replacing Stephen Schmerin...
.
Rendell was the first official from Philadelphia to win a spot in the governor's mansion since 1914. Although Fisher emphasized Rendell's Philadelphia roots continuously during his campaign, and described the mayor as an urban liberal whose programs would require huge tax increases, his strategy backfired; in much of Eastern Pennsylvania, voters instead related to Rendell, and he was thus able to win by huge margins in even many traditionally GOP suburbs http://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=1998+ridge+itkin&source=bl&ots=AK6b-Ut25d&sig=ln8QefiZodyBTkRiIzEYxTt21Ro&hl=en&ei=cPjETOLTOoOglAenj8EH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=1998%20ridge%20itkin&f=false