PITTSBURGH — For the second consecutive Democratic primary cycle, an incumbent city of Pittsburgh mayor fell to a member of his own party. Last night, Mayor Ed Gainey lost to fellow Democrat Corey O’Connor in a race that wasn’t even close by the end of the night.
Just four years earlier, Gainey, then a representative in the state legislature, defeated then-sitting Democratic mayor Bill Peduto in a primary. Peduto, who was seeking a third term, lost following a year of protests in the streets and in front of his home in the aftermath of George Floyd.
Before Gainey and Peduto went down to candidates in their own party, the last incumbent mayor of Pittsburgh to lose his seat in a general election was a Republican named John Herron. He could not overcome the Depression, FDR and the New Deal, as well as the resignation of his predecessor Charles Kline, and lost to Democrat William McNair.
Both Gainey and Peduto were cannibalized by their own party in a one-party city that has been dominated by Democrats for just shy of 100 years.
In the lead up to his loss, Gainey and his most vocal supporters blamed MAGA, Trump, racism, Zionism, and Republicans. News outlets outside the city called it a blow to progressivism. Larry Ceisler, a Pennsylvania-based public affairs professional, said it was none of the above.
“I think people who think this is like a knife in the heart of progressive politics, I don’t think are reading the situation right,” Ceisler said. “In the end, it was a referendum. It was a referendum on Ed Gainey. When you’re an incumbent mayor and you really can’t run on your record, then you have a problem,” he said.
Ceisler said the job of the mayor is to be on the front lines of every situation. “And that means the snow gets removed. That didn’t happen. That means that when there’s major power blackouts, even though you’re not running the grid, you have to be there to provide comfort. And that didn’t happen,” he said.
Where Gainey did show up was in front of the city county building for a rabble rousing speech at a rally in support of abortion when Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court.
In other words, he made national issues a priority and skirted the issues voters care most about, like making sure the roads are clear, the city is safe, and you draw new businesses into the region.
Throughout his administration, Gainey was seen as ineffective or indifferent to the homeless encampments that flooded the streets, the trail system, and even commerce, causing businesses and residents to flee. The optics of city ambulance and snow removal vehicles constantly in disrepair didn’t help. His friction with builders and developers ground development in the city to a halt and left the city in gridlock.
Gainey has also gone through a whopping five police chiefs in under four years. His last chief, Christopher Ragland, left after just four months on the job, citing political pressure as one of the triggers for his exit.
O’Connor is currently the Allegheny County Controller; he is the son of the late Bob O’Connor, known as the ‘people’s mayor,’ who only served as mayor for a few short months before succumbing to rare brain cancer.
As a nod to his father, O’Connor took to his neighborhood of Squirrel Hill to say thanks to Pittsburghers, just as his father did, by standing on a median at Forward and Murray Avenues in the pouring rain with his family at his side.
Gainey really struggled with the voters in Squirrel Hill, a vibrant Jewish neighborhood where the deadliest massacre of Jews in the United States happened at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018. Last year, when he signed onto a joint statement addressing the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks, the poorly worded statement drew anguish from the Jewish community and local elected officials.
The statement, which he wrote along with Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, and Summer Lee (D-PA), seemingly blamed Israel for the massacre and the spreading war in the Middle East while making no mention of Hamas.
Lee, who represents the city of Pittsburgh and is a close ally of Gainey, said in a statement, “Congratulations to Controller Corey O’Connor on his victory tonight and earning the Democratic nomination. I look forward to working together to ensure that Pittsburgh continues to move forward and leave no community behind.”
PROGRESSIVE PITTSBURGH MAYOR LOSES TO CHALLENGER IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Turnout in the state for the off-year primary elections was abysmal, with only 21.5% of Democrats and 17.9% of Republicans voting on Tuesday.
Ceisler said Gainey tried to nationalize the race. “Well, that wasn’t going to work because I don’t think Donald Trump cares whether Corey O’Connor or Ed Gamey won,” he said.