HARRISBURG — Challenger Corey O’Connor ousted Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey in Tuesday’s Democratic primary election, beating an incumbent in a race that hinged on how Gainey was handling city finances, affordable housing, and public safety.
O’Connor is all but assured of winning November’s general election against a low-profile Republican nominee in a city that hasn’t elected a Republican mayor in nearly a century.
O’Connor is the Allegheny County controller and the son of a former Pittsburgh mayor who had won the local party’s endorsement over Gainey.
Gainey — the city’s first Black mayor, who grew up in subsidized housing — beat his predecessor in 2021’s primary campaign and had allied himself with the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.
He had portrayed himself as the mayor who sides with regular people and as a “mayor that’s going to fight for you” when the Trump administration threatens the city.
O’Connor criticized Gainey’s management of the city, saying Gainey was reckless with city finances, fell badly short in expanding affordable housing, and lacked vision to bring businesses back to downtown after the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating collapse of the hometown steel industry.
He also said people didn’t feel safe in Pittsburgh and that city vehicles — including snow plows and ambulances — were breaking down at critical times.
Gainey touted the city’s strong economy under his watch and contended that he had held the line against tax increases, been saddled with the mistakes of prior administrations, and had overseen dropping crime rates in the city.