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Fox News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Pittsburgh mayoral primary sees major upset as ‘old guard' candidate defeats progressive incumbent Ed Gainey
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey was ousted Tuesday in a stiff Democratic primary challenge from Corey O'Connor, the son of a former city leader who had the support of the party's "old guard" and some Republicans. Mayor Ed Gainey, seen as the progressive in the race, began the contest on roughly even footing in terms of campaign funding, but O'Connor, son of the late former Mayor Bob O'Connor, had outraised and outspent the incumbent by April – ultimately putting up a fight in a city that has not been competitive on a partisan level since the 1930s. O'Connor received support from some Republican donors, as well as the "old guard" Democratic base, according to The New York Times. "This is an election about Pittsburgh, about how we get our city back on the right track. It's laughable to make arguments about progressive/not progressive. The outside groups that are meddling, I guarantee you – they haven't looked at the records of either one of us," O'Connor told the paper. O'Connor's campaign has also shown support for the resourcing of the police and his own plan to revitalize the downtown area. He has also received large outside contributions from groups like Common Sense Change Action and Democracy Wins, according to the Post-Gazette. Gainey took office as the Steel City's first Black mayor after defeating incumbent Mayor Bill Peduto in 2021. He has cast himself on the national stage as a critic of President Donald Trump and his agenda, while also working to attract new business to Pittsburgh — including the 2026 NFL Draft, which is estimated to bring a $200 million economic boost to the area, according to a source familiar. Gainey also previously pledged not to cooperate with federal ICE operations and has called Trump's budget cuts a "direct attack on working families" and the economy of Western Pennsylvania. "ICE is not going to end the situation of a failed immigration policy. What it's going to do is create more situations where people feel scared, where people don't feel safe," Gainey said in January – a sentiment which earned the rebuke of another Pittsburgh politician, Republican U.S. Sen. David McCormick. "Gainey needs to follow the law and the lead of some other Democratic mayors working to keep our cities safe," McCormick said, according to WTAE. Gainey's campaign has highlighted the mayor's efforts to increase community policing and mental health professionals to assist in police response, while O'Connor also claims the mantle of the pro-police candidate. Under Gainey, the city ranks first in state population growth and has increased its affordable housing by 1,600 units. Working with Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Gainey secured $600 million for downtown revitalization and improvements to the city's iconic Point State Park. "Thanks to our people-powered movement, our campaign has all of the momentum in this race. We've proven again and again since 2021 that when we come together — across race, across class, religion, age, across every line that's ever been used to divide us — we are unstoppable," Gainey said in a statement. On the Republican side, retired Police Det. Tony Moreno – who lost to Gainey last cycle – is running in the GOP primary against clothier Thomas West. On the other side of the commonwealth, George Soros-backed Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner won his primary, and in the state's third-largest city, Allentown, progressive incumbent Matt Tuerk is facing off against another "old guard" Democrat in Councilman Ed Zucal.
CBS News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Corey O'Connor PAC accused of using racist tactics to unseat Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey
Pittsburgh's mayoral race took a dark turn on Monday when a group of activists and state representatives accused supporters of Corey O'Connor's campaign of using racist tactics to unseat the city's first Black mayor. Specifically, the group condemned a mailer sent to city residents questioning the award of city contracts to some minority-owned businesses, including an alleged business partner of Mayor Ed Gainey's wife. On Monday at the City-County Building, the group denounced the mailer as part of a dog whistle campaign against Gainey. "This mailer is a clear demonstration of these tactics," said Brandi Fisher of the Alliance for Police Accountability The mailer doesn't mention race, nor does it name any specific organizations, but it accuses the administration of wasting $6 million on a comprehensive plan, some of which is slated to go to the organization 1Hood and to Brown Mamas, an advocacy group for Black women. The mailer also cites a "sweetheart contract" to an alleged business partner of the mayor's wife, referring to the city's award of $125,000 to Bounce Marketing to put on last year's Juneteenth festival. The mailer is the third sent to city residents funded by a political action committee of O'Connor supporters called Common Sense Change Action. This political action committee is funded mostly by local trade unions and has raised $264,000 in so-called independent expenditures. State Rep. Aerion Abney called on O'Connor directly to condemn the mailer. "I am asking you and encouraging you to call this out, to denounce it," Abney said. "And to affirm that these tactics have no place in politics and in this region." Under campaign finance laws, PACs can spend unlimited amounts of money in independent expenditures as long as there is no coordination or communication with the candidates and their campaigns. O'Connor's campaign did not denounce the mailer but said it had nothing to do with its content, issuing this statement: "Hateful rhetoric in any form is unacceptable. It has no place in this race and will have no place in Corey O'Connor's administration, if elected. The O'Connor campaign is committed to tackling the very real issues facing Pittsburgh - looming bankruptcy, overwhelmed public safety departments, and a lack of affordable housing. This is the discussion Pittsburghers deserve." Mike Mikus, the administrator of Common Sense Change Action, said the mailer is citing government waste in the Gainey administration and has nothing to do with race.
CBS News
07-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Pittsburgh's Democratic mayoral primary race heats up as candidates see sudden infusion of so-called dark money
With just over a month before the Democratic primary, the mayor's race is heating up. The sudden infusion of hundreds of thousands of dollars is fueling mostly negative ads. The campaign contributions are called independent expenditures. Some call it dark money. It's not always clear who's behind it, and there's no limit on what they can spend, but the money funds the attack ads that can sometimes turn an election. The first attack ad just hit the air. "Corey O'Connor has taken nearly $300,000 for the predatory landlords and the city's worst developers," a pro-Gainey ad claims. Meanwhile, mailers sent to city voters condemn Mayor Ed Gainey's time in office as littered with broken promises, and an independently funded TV ad says O'Connor will do better. "Now, Corey is fighting to make housing more affordable, fix our bridges and roads and tackle our homeless crisis," the ad says. "We're going to be talking about the issues, and if someone thinks it's negative, it's because Ed Gainey's been a failure as mayor in the city of Pittsburgh," says political consultant Mike Mikus. While Pittsburgh's municipal election rules cap direct contributions by individuals at $3,500 and committees at $5,000, political action committees can raise and spend as much as they want as long as they don't coordinate with the campaigns of the individual candidates. But it's not often clear just who is footing the bill. Sheehan : Is this dark money? Mikus : No, it's not dark money at all because we file reports. On Monday, a PAC called Common Sense Change Action filed a report acknowledging it has raised $264,000 to support Corey O'Connor. The PAC is being administered by Mikus, who says it is almost entirely funded by local trade unions. Developers Walnut Capital gave $25,000, but Mikus says it's being returned. So far, about $130,000 has gone to the negative mailers and an ad supporting O'Connor. On the other side, the Pennsylvania Working Families Party is funding a negative ad claiming O'Connor is taking donations from supporters of President Trump. "MAGA donors. Even Trump's own teams are trying to buy the race for Corey O'Connor," the anti-O'Connor ad claims. It's not yet clear how much Working Families has raised or from whom, but in Gainey's first run for mayor, KDKA-TV reported that $350,000 in independent expenditures were made by the SEIU Healthcare union, which has been trying unsuccessfully to unionize UPMC workers. Sources say the union will not make as large an independent expenditure this time. KDKA-TV has reached out to Working Families for comment. With a month to go, money is pouring into both sides in the form of independent expenditures. KDKA-TV is committed to keeping tabs on how much money, who's paying, and the accuracy of those ads in future reports to help voters make an informed decision before going to the polls.
