Pittsburgh's mayoral race headlines primary Election Day in western Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh's hotly-contested mayoral race is in the spotlight as western Pennsylvanians head to the polls to cast their vote in the primary election.
In Pittsburgh, incumbent Mayor Ed Gainey and challenger Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor are seeking to win the Democratic nomination. Former police officer Tony Moreno and businessman Thomas West are seeking the Republican nomination. The parties' nominees will face off in November.
Polls open in Pennsylvania's primary
Polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday for Pennsylvania's primary election. Off the bat, Allegheny County reported a "smattering" of issues like power outages, equipment issues and closed buildings that prevented some polling locations from opening on time. By 9:30 a.m., a county spokesperson said everything was resolved.
Mt. Rise Baptist Church, a polling place in the Homestead area, was closed a little before noon "out of an abundance of caution" after the judge of elections smelled natural gas, the county said. Voters will be redirected to Holy Angels Church, about 6 minutes away.
All 1,327 polling places in Allegheny County will be open until 8 p.m. The County Office Building is accepting mail-in ballots until 8 p.m. at the Ross Street entrance.
Pittsburgh's Democratic mayoral candidates cast ballots
Ed Gainey is at the end of his first term. He was elected Pittsburgh's first Black mayor after ousting Bill Peduto in the last mayoral primary. Now he's pushing to keep his role as the city's leader.
"Building a city for all, you know, delivering affordable housing, 1,600, reducing the homicide rate in the city, the NFL Draft coming here, $600 million for Downtown. We continue to do what we say we're gonna do, and that's build a city where everybody feels seen, and where everybody feels accepted. So we're very excited about this," Gainey said.
Corey O'Connor, Gainey's challenger, is the Allegheny County controller. He's looking to fill the role once held by his late father Bob O'Connor.
"We have a choice in front of us today. We can take our city in a different direction where we're more transparent, we talk about growth and opportunity in all areas. And, you know, standing here with my family, I think, for me, Pittsburgh should be every family's first choice," O'Connor said.
GOP candidates vote in Pittsburgh's mayoral race
Tony Moreno is a retired Pittsburgh police officer who ran against Gainey in 2021.
"We're talking about the same exact issues we were talking about four years ago, and we demanded change four years ago, and we got more of the same on steroids. That's why I'm here," he said.
Thomas West, a businessman who owns the men's retail boutique Trim in Lawrenceville, campaigned on the promise that he'd bring fresh leadership to the city.
"I'm just going to be me. I have a message out there about how to make the city better and how to make us live up to our full potential, so if I become the Republican nominee, that'd be great. And in November, if I win, let's get the party rolling. I love it," West said.
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