Ed Renwick is being remembered as a man who helped shape politics in New Orleans for 38-years.
The long time director of the Loyola University Institute of Politics and Associate Professor died Friday at 81.
Renwick was a staple on WWL-TV where, as a political analyst, his comments punctuated political seasons, elections, and political stories through five governors, four mayors and everything in between.
His prowess as a pollster and estute observer of politics gave him the ability to predict the outcome of major campaign races.
“In his heyday, no one was better at political analysis,” remembered longtime WWL-TV anchor Angela Hill on Saturday. “He was such a special man – smart, with a wonderful sense of humor, which he often used to help explain the rough and tumble world of politics.”
Renwick served more than just WWL-TV, he was also a contributor to Times-Picayune, The Baton Rouge Advocate, and other national news sources.
His resume reads like a rollcall of top Louisiana politicos who called on him for polling and campaign advice, including: Governor Edwin Edwards, Lt. Governor James Fitzmorris, Orleans Parish District Harry Connick, Sr., Mayor Ernest "Dutch" Morial, and Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee among others.
WWL-TV's current Political Analyst Clancy DuBos praised Renwick for his ground breaking work in polling: "It was a different time in politics and polling in general was new, but Ed’s polls were accurate and that’s what earned him a following. Nowadays polls can be all over the place, but that was rarely the case with Ed.”
