Pittsburgh Political Upheavel: O'Connor Beats Gainey In Mayoral Race

PITTSBURGH, PA — Nearly 20 years after the death of his father, former Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor, Corey O' Connor is all but assured of following in his footsteps.

O'Connor, 40, of Point Breeze, defeated Mayor Ed Gainey in Tuesday's Democratic primary election after a combative campaign that focused on Gainey's handling of public safety issues and city finances.

With 99.25 of precincts reporting, O'Connor had 31,254 votes to Gainey's 27,987.

In the General Election in November, O'Connor will face former city police officer Tony Moreno, who won the Republican nomination. Moreno defeated small business owner Thomas West, 2,865-1,232.

O'Connor likely will win the election in a city that has an overwhelming Democratic registration edge and has not elected a Republican mayor in nearly a century.

"Your voices and calls for accountable leadership and growth have been heard in this Democratic primary," O'Connor told supporters Tuesday night at Nova Place on the North Side.

O'Connor has been Allegheny County controller since July 2022 after being nominated by former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and confirmed by the state Senate. He was elected to his first full term in November 2023.

Prior to becoming controller, O'Connor represented Pittsburgh City Council District 5 in the East End for a decade. Before being elected tocouncil, he was a community development representative for former U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle.

O'Connor's father was a longtime city councilman who served nine months as Pittsburgh's mayor in 2006 before dying from a rare form of brain cancer.

Gainey, 55, of the city's Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood, is a former state legislator who defeated former Mayor Bill Peduto in the Democratic primary in 2021. He touted among the accomplishments of his first term the delivery of 1,600 units of affordable housing, a 45 percent reduction in gun violence in the city and a historic $600 million investment in the Downtown area.

Gainey, the city's first Black mayor, conceded the election Tuesday night at the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers headquarters on the South Side.

"While tonight's result isn't what we hoped for, our people-powered movement in Pittsburgh is stronger than it's ever been before thanks to every person who was part of this campaign to build a city for all," he said in a statement.

"Corey O'Connor must be ready to carry forward the transformational progress the people of this city demand and that he promised in his campaign. The progress my administration delivered on affordable housing, policing, and community investments set a new bar that Corey will be expected to build upon. "