Rendell, rewriting history on Hoeffel job offer?

Gov. Rendell has gotten a lot of air time lately dishing out commentary on the political story of the moment involving Joe Sestak and a certain job offer.

Today was no different. Rendell turned up on Fox News Sunday to discuss the revelation that it was President Clinton who tried to entice Rep. Sestak to drop out of the Senate primary to clear the field for incumbent Arlen Specter.

Rendell told host Chris Wallace he made a similar offer to help a Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania.

"I did the same thing in 2006 to ask a former congressman, Joe Hoeffel, to drop out of the race against Bob Casey in the primary… I said, 'Come back and see me if you do it.' He came back and saw me, and he was out of public service. I appointed him as a deputy secretary of commerce. He did a great job."

Except it wasn't the Senate race Rendell wanted Hoeffel to exit that year; it was the lieutenant governor's race.

You may recall Catherine Baker Knoll was running for her second term - as was Rendell - and her status as a western Pennsylvania icon and record vote getter was a boost for the Democratic ticket against Republicans Lynn Swann and Jim Matthews.

Hoeffel announced his intention to run for lieutenant governor in March 8, 2006 and dropped out a day later after a chitchat with the governor.

Said Hoeffel at the time: "The bottom line is he is asking me not to go forward with the race."

In July Rendell appointed Hoeffel to the post at DCED overseeing international commerce.

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