HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Governor Tom Wolf took the oath of office just after noon Tuesday at the State Capitol in Harrisburg to begin his second term as governor of Pennsylvania.
"History is still being written in Pennsylvania," said the governor during his address. "A big part of who we are as Pennsylvanians is the pride we have in where we're from."
Wolf was re-elected to a second term, defeating Republican challenger Scott Wagner in November.
Wolf took the oath, restoring a long-time Pennsylvania tradition of two-term governors.
"My fellow Pennsylvanians: we've gone from a commonwealth at a crossroads to a commonwealth on a comeback."
The governor went through a list of accomplishments under the capitol dome in four years -- new jobs, improved roads and bridges, more education funding and turning a $2 billion dollar into a surplus.
This Democrat returns with Republicans still controlling the house and senate.
"We all come to public service with convictions that we know we can't compromise. I certainly do. And I know my friends in the legislature do, as well. So sometimes we'll disagree, and sometimes we'll have to agree to disagree," the governor said.
"But that doesn't have to stop us from working together to make progress for Pennsylvania where we have common ground."
The second-term governor said Democrats and Republicans in Harrisburg can't do it all in moving the Keystone State forward.
"So, today, I ask you to choose hope over hopelessness, empathy over apathy. I ask you to choose action over passivity. I ask you to take the future of our commonwealth into your own hands and help lead us forward."
Wolf told the crowd that when he took office four years ago, Pennsylvania was a commonwealth at a crossroads. Now, he says it's a commonwealth on a comeback.
"The graduation rate is up. The uninsured rate is down. Pre-k enrollment is up. Crime is down. We've got more people working and fewer people in prison," Wolf said. "Now, I'd love to take credit for all of that. Heck, while we're at it, I'd love to take credit for the Eagles winning the Super Bowl."
The governor did not tout any specific policy goals for his second and final term, but he asked for continued support from lawmakers in Harrisburg and voters across the state.
"The accomplishments of the last four years aren't my accomplishments. These are our accomplishments. Pennsylvanians have earned the right to feel optimistic about our future, and as we look forward to the next four years, I want us to be ambitious in imagining the Pennsylvania we can build together."
Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman was sworn in inside the State Capitol Tuesday morning.
Pennsylvania's new Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman helped kick off the political pageantry of the inauguration.
"Today we celebrate the start of Tom Wolf's second term in office and the promise he will continue to move Pennsylvania forward," Fetterman said.
Wolf was born and raised in York County. He took over the family business, The Wolf Organization, and turned it into a highly-profitable manufacturer of cabinets, selling the company in 2006.
Wolf served as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Revenue during the Rendell Administration (2007-08). He bought The Wolf Organization when it faced bankruptcy in 2010 and served as chairman until he announced he intended to run for governor.