Latest news with #PittsburghMayor
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Tony Moreno wins Republican nomination for Pittsburgh mayor
Tony Moreno has won the Republican nomination in Pittsburgh's mayoral primary. Retired Pittsburgh police officer Tony Moreno and Pittsburgh business owner Thomas West were on the ballot Tuesday. During a debate that aired on KDKA-TV, Moreno touted his involvement in the city government after spending 24 years inside the police department, while West said he's coming in with a fresh perspective. Moreno runs for mayor again Moreno ran against Gainey in the 2021 primary election as a Democrat and in the 2021 general election as a Republican. When he launched his campaign for this primary, he said he was a Republican who believed in conservative values. "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," Moreno said while voting on Tuesday morning. West promised fresh leadership West, who is the owner of the men's clothing boutique Trim in Lawrenceville, campaigned on the promise that he'd bring fresh leadership to move the city forward. "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 at a polling place on Tuesday morning. Pittsburgh voters haven't elected a Republican since 1933.
CBS News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
So-called dark money pouring into Democratic primary for mayor of Pittsburgh
With just a week to go, the money keeps pouring into the Democratic primary for mayor of Pittsburgh. When all is said and done, close to $3 million will be spent on the Democratic primary for mayor, an astounding amount for a local election. KDKA Lead Investigator Andy Sheehan says more than $1 million is so-called dark money, much of it from out-of-state funders pushing national agendas. Who is behind the cash? They're political action committees, which are independent of the candidates' campaigns but have been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on those attack ads on both sides. The funders behind the ads are often not clear, but many have national concerns beyond Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Democratic Primary for mayor attack ads With just a week to go, the attack ads are getting nastier. So far, sources say Common Sense Change, a PAC independently supporting O'Connor, has spent $675,000 on ads. Pennsylvania Working Families Party, a PAC independently supporting Mayor Ed Gainey, has spent $585,000. Much of the money is coming from out-of-state funders pushing national agendas. "What we really have is a proxy war for the heart and soul of the Democratic Party that is played out by these groups that are national groups getting themselves in the mix of a local race," political consultant Mike Butler said. The PACs must operate independently of the campaigns, but determining who is behind the cash requires some sleuthing. Backing Gainey, Working Families is a national PAC dedicated to the election of progressive candidates, with the Pennsylvania chapter based in Philadelphia. Since the PAC files campaign reports federally, most of its contributors haven't yet been identified. But in March, the social justice organization Pennsylvania United contributed $100,000 and SEIU Healthcare, which has long enlisted Mayor Gainey's support to unionize UPMC, did the same. More is known about Common Sense Change, which has been funded primarily by the Pennsylvania Laborers' District Council, local trade unions, and local old-line Democrats. But in its latest filing, a PAC out of Washington, D.C., called Democracy Wins made two contributions: $90,000 and $60,000. The PAC's funders are not known, but Common Sense says it funds "mainstream progressive" candidates like O'Connor. Butler says these independent expenditures from outside sources reveal a national split in the Democratic Party between the progressive wing backing Gainey and the more moderate Democrats behind O'Connor. "It can be unfortunate for voters who are trying to have kitchen table concerns, and they're in the middle of this larger ideological fight," Butler said. And since many of the funders are unknown, those agendas remain hidden. "We don't have accountability. We don't have transparency. We still have undue influence," Butler said. But as it is, many of the big-ticket donors won't be known until after the votes are counted.
CBS News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Watch: Pittsburgh mayoral Republican candidates to hold debate
The Republican candidates for Pittsburgh mayor are debating on KDKA+ Thursday at 7 p.m. You can watch it in the live player above. Tony Moreno is a former police officer who ran for mayor four years ago. Thomas West is a Lawrenceville business owner and former TV producer. The Democratic candidates, incumbent Mayor Ed Gainey and Corey O'Connor, debated on KDKA+ on Wednesday. The two answered questions about public safety, housing, the city's aging emergency vehicle fleet and more. The primary election is set for May 20.
