NBC News has made it official, confirming that former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell will join the company as a political analyst. He will contribute to NBC News broadcasts as well as MSNBC.
“Governor Rendell has never been afraid to share his thoughtful analysis on national and local issues and he couldn’t be a better fit for NBC News,” said NBC News president Steve Capus in a statement. “His extensive experience serving the people of Pennsylvania gives him a unique perspective and we’re thrilled to have him on board.”
Interestingly enough, Rendell’s former chief of staff when he was the Mayor of Philadelphia, David L. Cohen, is one of the top executives at Comcast, which is expected to assume control of NBC Universal at the end of this week.
FORMER GOVERNOR ED RENDELL NAMED NBC NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST
NEW YORK – January 25, 2011 – Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has been named NBC News political analyst. The announcement was made today by Steve Capus, President of NBC News, and is effective immediately. In this new role, Gov. Rendell, who has been a frequent guest on NBC News broadcasts for years, will contribute to NBC News and MSNBC.
“Governor Rendell has never been afraid to share his thoughtful analysis on national and local issues and he couldn’t be a better fit for NBC News,” said Capus. “His extensive experience serving the people of Pennsylvania gives him a unique perspective and we’re thrilled to have him on board.”
“I’m excited about this new opportunity with NBC because I believe our country faces critical challenges in the next two years,” said Rendell. “The ability to have my voice heard and create an impact on the political discourse is exciting to me and is an extension of my continued commitment to public life.”
Rendell served two terms as Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003-2011. As chief executive of the nation’s 6th most populous states, Rendell oversaw a $28.43 billion budget and tackled issues from education reform to taxes to creating jobs. Committed to make government more responsible to the public and more responsive to the public’s needs, Governor Rendell cut spending and improved efficiency to save more than $1 billion, and pursued a legislative agenda that included commonsense political reforms to put progress ahead of partisanship.
His unprecedented strategic investments energized Pennsylvania’s economy, revitalized communities, improved education, protected the environment and expanded access to health care to all children and affordable prescription drugs for older adults.
Under Governor Rendell’s leadership, Pennsylvania’s economy rebounded sharply. When he became Governor, the commonwealth faced a projected budget deficit of $2.4 billion. As one of his first acts, Governor Rendell cut government spending to close that deficit and implemented programs and policies to apply business principles of productivity and cost-savings to the operation of state government.
Prior to serving as Governor of Pennsylvania, Rendell was general chair of the Democratic National Committee during the 2000 Presidential election.
As Mayor of Philadelphia from 1992-1999, Rendell led what The New York Times called “the most stunning turnaround in recent urban history.” The subject of the book Prayer for the City by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Buzz Bissinger, Rendell was called “one of America’s best, most interesting mayors.”
Before serving as Mayor, Rendell was elected district attorney of the City of Philadelphia for two terms from 1978 through 1985. Rendell also served as general chair of the Democratic National Committee during the 2000 Presidential election, and teaches government and politics courses at the University of Pennsylvania.
An Army veteran, Rendell holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from the Villanova Law School.