Left-Wing Mayor Of Major Blue City Loses Key Primary Race

Democratic Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey lost Tuesday’s mayoral primary election to the comparatively moderate Democratic Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, dealing a blow to the Democratic Party’s left flank.

Gainey, who took office in January 2022, conceded the race on Tuesday night after projected results showed O’Connor as the winner, according to The Associated Press. Gainey centered his campaign around priorities that included opposing the Trump administration, hiring more black people to the police force and making the city use only renewable energy by 2030.

“A loss is not final,” Gainey said in his concession speech Tuesday night before stating that left-wing politics are not going anywhere. “See, they know there’s a new coalition on the rise.”

“We didn’t put a crack in the glass ceiling; we shattered it,” Gainey said.

The mayor’s term ends in January 2026 after the November mayoral election, in which O’Connor will run against Republican Tony Moreno, a retired police officer, according to the AP. O’Connor’s primary victory almost guarantees he will win the general election in November.