Ed Rendell is the Democratic candidate for governor. A resident of Philadelphia, he has served as mayor and district attorney of the city. Rendell has also served as the general chair of the Democratic National Committee during the 2000 election. His running mate for lieutenant governor is Catherine Baker Knoll.

Rendell is a partner at Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, in Philadelphia, and a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania. During his term as mayor, Rendell eliminated a $250 million deficit and halted a six-year job-loss trend.

Some of Rendell's main issues are education reform and public safety. He is concerned with making pre-school widespread for 4-year-olds and establishing full-day kindergarten throughout Pennsylvania. Smaller classes for kindergarten through third grade and school safety are also among his priorities, he said. Rendell's education plan would increase the state's share of school funding. The plan would cost $1.5 billion a year, but Rendell said he has plans to compensate for this expense by legalizing slot machines at race tracks and increasing the tax on cigarettes to 62 cents per pack. Based on the profit from this increased tax, Rendell said he would require local school districts to reduce property taxes.

Rendell said he is committed to rebuilding Pennsylvania's small towns and cities and is opposed to bringing the state's minimum wage higher than the national level. Rendell is also in support of keeping abortion rights and the death penalty. If Rendell wins the election, it will be the first time since 1914 that a former Philadelphia mayor becomes governor.