Pennsylvania election: Corey O’Connor defeats Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey in Democratic primary

HARRISBURG Pa AP Challenger Corey O Connor ousted Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey in Tuesday s Democratic primary ballot beating an incumbent in a race that hinged on how Gainey was handling city finances affordable housing and citizens safety O Connor is all but assured of winning November s general poll against a low-profile Republican nominee in a city that hasn t elected a GOP mayor in nearly a century The race for Pittsburgh mayor hinged on local issues driven by unhappiness in selected quarters with Gainey s management rather than the questions dividing the national Democratic Party On the other side of the state progressive stalwart Larry Krasner won the Democratic primary for Philadelphia district attorney driven by nationalized themes of criminal justice change and Krasner s positioning himself as a guardian of the city against President Donald Trump s conservative agenda O Connor the Allegheny County controller is the son of a former Pittsburgh mayor and had won the local party s endorsement over Gainey who had allied himself with progressives Gainey the city s first Black mayor and someone who grew up in subsidized housing beat predecessor Bill Peduto in s primary campaign He portrayed himself as someone who sides with regular people and as a mayor that s going to fight for you when the Trump administration threatens the city Gainey touted the city s strong economic system and contended that he had held the line against tax increases been saddled with the mistakes of prior administrations and had overseen dropping crime rates But O Connor criticized Gainey s management of the city saying Gainey was reckless with city finances fell badly short in expanding affordable housing and lacked vision to bring businesses back to downtown after the COVID- pandemic and the devastating collapse of the hometown steel industry He also disclosed people didn t feel safe in Pittsburgh and that city vehicles including snow plows and ambulances were emerging down at critical times O Connor benefited from endorsement from builders and developers amid friction over Gainey s affordable housing plan and O Connor s campaign and allied groups outspent Gainey s side which had sponsorship from the liberal Working Families Party and Institution Employees International Union Still unions were divided in the race and affordable housing groups had criticized Gainey s efforts O Connor meanwhile characterized the city under Gainey as headed for a financial dilemma that threatened quality of life and constituents safety a emergency that O Connor confidently disclosed he could fix Gainey he reported was leading the city down a path of managing our decline That financial situation is going to impact each and every one of us each and every day O Connor commented during a televised May debate It s going to stop our ability to fill in your potholes It s going to stop our ability to buy new ambulances and equipment for general safety to keep you safe There were also two statewide courts contests on Tuesday s ballots Here s what to know about the contests Philadelphia district attorney Krasner defeated Pat Dugan a U S Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was the head administrative judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court before he resigned to run Krasner is seeking a third term after withstanding an impeachment attempt by Republican state lawmakers and years of being a campaign trail punching bag for Trump Krasner has the benefit of crime rates falling in big US cities including Philadelphia after they rose sharply during the COVID- pandemic Dugan had aimed to make the race about Krasner s crime-fighting policies he called Krasner Let em Go Larry and accused the incumbent of staffing the district attorney s office with ill-prepared and inexperienced lawyers Krasner originally ran in on a progressive platform that included holding police accountable and opposing the death penalty cash bail prosecuting minor nonviolent offenses and a heritage of mass-incarceration Like certain big-city Democrats Krasner has turned toward pro-public safety messaging maintaining that he is serious about pursuing violent crime and touting new technologies and strategies that his office is using to solve or prevent crime Krasner has repeatedly invoked Trump and suggested that he was the best candidate to stand up to him In a TV ad he cast himself as the foil to Trump and his billionaire buddies the shooting groups and gun lobby the old system that denied people justice for too long They can come for Philly but I m not backing down Dugan had invoked Trump too saying in a TV ad that Philadelphia faces the threats of crime injustice and a president bent on destruction He also accused Krasner of failing to deliver real change or make us safe Now he wants us to believe he can take on Trump Get real Courts Two statewide court seats are opening up one on the Commonwealth Court and one on the Superior Court Democrats didn t have a primary in either contest with Washington County Judge Brandon Neuman running uncontested for Superior Court and Philadelphia Judge Stella Tsai running uncontested for Commonwealth Court On the Republican ticket Clarion County lawyer Maria Battista won the Superior Court contest defeating the party-endorsed Ann Marie Wheatcraft a Chester County judge In the Commonwealth Court contest Matt Wolford of Erie County a former state and federal prosecutor defeated Josh Prince of Berks County a prominent gun rights lawyer The -member Superior Court hears appeals of civil and criminal cases from county courts The nine-seat Commonwealth Court hears challenges or appeals from county courts in cases involving laws or governing body actions Judges are elected to -year terms Follow Marc Levy on X at https x com timelywriter Source