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Mayoral election in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2025 (May 20 Democratic primary)

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← 2021
2025 Pittsburgh elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: March 11, 2025 (primary) &
August 1, 2025 (general)
Primary election: May 20, 2025
General election: November 4, 2025
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor
Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections)
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2025

Corey O'Connor (D) defeated incumbent Edward Gainey (D) in the Democratic primary for mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 20, 2025.[1] A Democrat had held the mayor's office since 1934.

Before the election, PennLive's J.D. Prose wrote, "With Pittsburgh remaining a solidly blue enclave in purple Allegheny County, the party’s primary race winner will be considered the de facto next mayor although there are two GOP mayoral candidates."[2]

Gainey was first elected in 2021. He focused on his record in office and his campaign website said, "Homicides are down, the state of our infrastructure has improved, affordable housing options are growing, and basic services are faster — I’m proud of my record as Mayor, and excited about what we can still achieve, together."[3] Gainey also campaigned to make housing more affordable, saying, "I want to build a city where everybody has an opportunity to live. To me, housing is a right. Housing is a right that everybody should have."[4] U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) and the United Steelworkers endorsed Gainey.[5][6]

O'Connor was the controller of Allegheny County. He campaigned to build more housing and develop businesses and said, "We must create new affordable and workforce housing opportunities, and eliminate obstacles to housing construction. We must provide space for new businesses and entrepreneurs to choose Pittsburgh."[7] He also campaigned on public safety and said he wanted to fund centers to "provide crisis support, homelessness resources, and emergency aid, giving first responders more tools to help residents quickly and effectively."[8] The Allegheny County Democratic Committee and Pennsylvania's Laborers' Council endorsed O'Connor.[9] The Democratic Committee previously endorsed Gainey over incumbent Bill Peduto (D) in 2021.[10]

WESA's Chris Potter discussed the national implications of the race and wrote, "What happens outside of Pittsburgh no longer stays outside of Pittsburgh."[11] Gainey criticized O'Connor for receiving $130,000 in donations from donors who previously supported Republican candidates.[12] Gainey said, "There's one place I didn't expect to have to fend the MAGA assault, and that was the mayoral primary race." He added, "Trump's MAGA megadonors, his consultants and corporate interests, are trying to buy the mayor's office."[13] O'Connor said he received donations from "people who want to donate because they see how much Pittsburgh is struggling." He also criticized Gainey for supporting Pittsburgh’s bid to host the Republican National Convention in Pittsburgh, saying, "So, I ask, who's progressive? Somebody who wants to stop Donald Trump or somebody who was willing to welcome Donald Trump and the Trump Republicans to Pittsburgh for their national convention?"[14]

Pittsburgh was one of the 47 top 100 U.S. cities to use a strong mayor system of governance, meaning the mayor drafts budgets, sets policies, and can veto bills by the city council. To read more about the power mayors have in the top 100 cities in the country, click here.

As of 2025, Pittsburgh does not have term limits for the position of mayor. Mayors serve a four-year term.

Candidates and election results

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Mayor of Pittsburgh

Corey O'Connor defeated incumbent Edward Gainey in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Pittsburgh on May 20, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Corey O'Connor
Corey O'Connor
 
52.6
 
31,666
Image of Edward Gainey
Edward Gainey
 
47.1
 
28,355
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
189

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 60,210
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Voting information

The following dates come from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's election agency website[15]:

  • February 18: First day to circulate and file nomination petitions
  • March 11: Last day to circulate and file nomination petitions
  • March 12: First day to circulate and file nomination papers
  • March 18: Last day to file objections to nomination petitions
  • March 26: Last day for withdrawal by candidates who filed nomination petitions
  • May 5: Last day to register before the primary
  • May 13: Last day to apply for a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot
  • May 20: Last day for county election office to receive completed mail-in and civilian absentee ballots (must be received by 8:00 P.M.)
  • May 20: Primary day (Polls open 7 A.M-8 P.M.)

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Edward Gainey

Image of Edward Gainey

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Biography:  Gainey received a bachelor's degree in business management from Morgan University. He previously worked as a state legislative aide for Joseph Preston Jr. (D), a project manager for Mayor Tom Murphy (D), an economic development coordinator, and as chair of the Pittsburgh Democratic Party Committee.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Gainey campaigned on his record in office and said "We’ve delivered on promises that went undelivered for years, but there’s still so much more work to do. I’m running to continue the work we’ve been doing."

Gainey campaigned on making housing more affordable and said "I want to build a city where everybody has an opportunity to live. To me, housing is a right. Housing is a right that everybody should have."

Gainey focused on public safety and his website said "Mayor Gainey made government work and made our communities safer: since he took office, homicides have fallen by 33% and non-fatal shootings have dropped by 44%."

Show sources

Sources: The Morning Call, "Pittsburgh mayor announces reelection bid," September 7, 2024; Pittsburgh Magazine, "Ed Gainey Wants Another Shot at Running the City of Pittsburgh," February 20, 2025; Ed Gainey 2025 campaign website, "Priorities," accessed April 15, 2025; Pittsburgh Quarterly, "What Do I Know? Ed Gainey," July 11, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Pittsburgh in 2025.

Corey O'Connor

Image of Corey O'Connor

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  O'Connor received his bachelor's degree in elementary education from Duquesne University. He previously worked as a Community Development Representative for Congressman Mike Doyle (D).


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

O'Connor campaigned on making housing more affordable and said "We must create new affordable and workforce housing opportunities, and eliminate obstacles to housing construction. We must provide space for new businesses and entrepreneurs to choose Pittsburgh."

O'Connor campaigned on public safety and supported "provid[ing] crisis support, homelessness resources, and emergency aid, giving first responders more tools to help residents quickly and effectively."

O'Connor wanted to increase development in the city. His website said he would focus on "strengthening main street development efforts with a “main and main” strategy that invests $10 million across 10 business districts in the City."

Show sources

Sources: PoliticsPA, "O’Connor Announces Candidacy For Pittsburgh Mayor," December 10, 2024; WESA, "O’Connor talks public safety plan, criticizes Gainey’s police chief struggles," April 3, 2025; Corey O'Connor 2025 campaign website, "Priorities," accessed April 15, 2025; Allegheny Controller, "About Controller Corey O'Connor," accessed April 15, 2025

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Pittsburgh in 2025.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.


Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Election spending

Campaign finance

Campaign finance can be found on the City of Pittsburgh's Campaign Finance website, which can be found here.

Election context

Ballot access requirements

Information on ballot access requirements can be found here.

Election history

2021

General election

General election for Mayor of Pittsburgh

Edward Gainey defeated Tony Moreno in the general election for Mayor of Pittsburgh on November 2, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Edward Gainey
Edward Gainey (D)
 
70.8
 
50,165
Image of Tony Moreno
Tony Moreno (R)
 
28.4
 
20,162
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.8
 
558

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 70,885
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Mayor of Pittsburgh

Edward Gainey defeated incumbent Bill Peduto, Tony Moreno, and Michael Thompson in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Pittsburgh on May 18, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Edward Gainey
Edward Gainey
 
46.4
 
26,479
Image of Bill Peduto
Bill Peduto
 
39.2
 
22,406
Image of Tony Moreno
Tony Moreno
 
13.0
 
7,442
Image of Michael Thompson
Michael Thompson
 
1.2
 
680
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
117

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 57,124
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Mayor of Pittsburgh

Tony Moreno defeated incumbent Bill Peduto in the Republican primary for Mayor of Pittsburgh on May 18, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tony Moreno
Tony Moreno (Write-in)
 
36.1
 
1,379
Image of Bill Peduto
Bill Peduto (Write-in)
 
7.5
 
285
 Other/Write-in votes
 
56.4
 
2,151

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,815
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2017)

Incumbent Bill Peduto (D) ran unopposed in the general election for mayor of Pittsburgh.[16]

Mayor of Pittsburgh, General Election, 2017
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Bill Peduto Incumbent (unopposed) 95.96% 40,540
Write-in votes 4.04% 1,706
Total Votes 42,246
Source: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 7, 2017

Incumbent Bill Peduto defeated John Welch and Darlene Harris in the Democratic primary election for mayor of Pittsburgh.

Mayor of Pittsburgh, Democratic Primary Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Bill Peduto Incumbent 68.90% 27,270
John Welch 17.42% 6,895
Darlene Harris 13.31% 5,266
Write-in votes 0.37% 147
Total Votes 39,578
Source: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, "Official Results," accessed June 28, 2017

2013

See also: Pittsburgh mayoral election, 2013

Peduto defeated Republican Joshua Wander and independent candidate Lester F. Ludwig in the November 5, 2013, general election.[17]

Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2013
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBill Peduto 84.3% 36,856
     Republican Joshua Wander 11.5% 5,012
     Independent Lester F. Ludwig 3.5% 1,514
     Nonpartisan Write-in 0.8% 340
Total Votes 43,722
Source: Allegheny County Elections Division, "Official general election results," accessed October 28, 2015

On May 21, 2013, Peduto won the Democratic mayoral primary, defeating former Auditor General Jack Wagner, State Representative Jake Wheatley and A. J. Richardson.[18]

Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA Democratic Primary, 2013
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngBill Peduto 51.8% 23,650
Jake Wheatley 7.7% 3,508
Jack Wagner 39.6% 18,094
A. J. Richardson 0.6% 294
Write-in 0.2% 103
Total Votes 45,649
Source: Allegheny County Elections Division, Official primary election results," accessed October 28, 2015

Mayoral partisanship

Pittsburgh has a Democratic mayor. As of September 2025, 66 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 23 are affiliated with the Republican Party, one is affiliated with the Libertarian Party, three are independents, five identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors' affiliations are unknown. Click here for a list of the 100 largest cities' mayors and their partisan affiliations.

Mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan in most of the nation's largest cities. However, many officeholders are affiliated with political parties. Ballotpedia uses one or more of the following sources to identify each officeholder's partisan affiliation: (1) direct communication from the officeholder, (2) current or previous candidacy for partisan office, or (3) identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets.

Help inform our readers

Take our candidate survey

See also: Survey

At Ballotpedia, we believe that everyone deserves meaningful, reliable, trustworthy information about their candidates. We also know that good information—especially at the local level—is hard to find. That's why Ballotpedia created Candidate Connection.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Our survey helps voters better understand how their candidates think about the world and how they intend to govern—information they need to feel confident they're picking the best person for the role.

If you are a candidate, take our survey here. Or you can ask a candidate to take the survey by sharing the link with them.

Submit endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Endorsements can be particularly helpful for voters trying to decide between candidates in local races, which often feature nonpartisan candidates. Endorsements from individuals and organizations can help voters better understand policy differences between candidates in these cases where little or no other news coverage of policy stances exists.

Candidates, share endorsements here. Readers, share endorsements you know about here.

About the city

See also: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. As of 2020, its population was 302,971.

City government

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of Pittsburgh uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body while the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[19]

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographic Data for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Population 302,971 13,002,700
Land area (sq mi) 55 44,741
Race and ethnicity**
White 66.4% 79.4%
Black/African American 23% 11.1%
Asian 5.8% 3.5%
Native American 0.2% 0.2%
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0%
Other (single race) 1% 2.4%
Multiple 3.6% 3.4%
Hispanic/Latino 3.4% 7.6%
Education
High school graduation rate 93.2% 91%
College graduation rate 45.4% 32.3%
Income
Median household income $50,536 $63,627
Persons below poverty level 19.7% 12%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


2025 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This is a battleground election. Other 2025 battleground elections include:

See also

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ New York Times, "Pittsburgh Mayor Primary Election Results," May 20, 2025
  2. ↑ PennLive, "Is this Pa. city’s mayoral primary a barometer of Democrats' future?" March 18, 2025
  3. ↑ Trib Live, "Mayor Ed Gainey launches re-election campaign" August 30, 2024
  4. ↑ Pittsburgh Magazine, "Ed Gainey Wants Another Shot at Running the City of Pittsburgh," February 20, 2025
  5. ↑ Public Source, "Pittsburgh’s mayoral primary options: Ed Gainey," March 4, 2025
  6. ↑ United Steelworkers, "USW District 10 Endorses Ed Gainey for Mayor of Pittsburgh," February 4, 2025
  7. ↑ PoliticsPA, "O’Connor Announces Candidacy For Pittsburgh Mayor," December 10, 2024
  8. ↑ WESA, "O’Connor talks public safety plan, criticizes Gainey’s police chief struggles," April 3, 2025
  9. ↑ Public Source, "Pittsburgh’s mayoral primary options: Corey O’Connor," March 4, 2025
  10. ↑ Trib Live, "Democratic committee endorses O'Connor over Gainey, but tight margin triggers recount," March 10, 2025
  11. ↑ WESA, "Why Trump and MAGA are playing a role in the Pittsburgh mayoral race," March 7, 2025
  12. ↑ WESA, "Gainey and O'Connor argue over 'MAGA assault' in Pittsburgh mayoral race," March 3, 2025
  13. ↑ The Nation, "MAGA Money Targets Pittsburgh’s Progressive Mayor," March 26, 2025
  14. ↑ CBS News, "Gainey, O'Connor argue over Pittsburgh mayoral campaign donations from Trump supporters," March 3, 2025
  15. ↑ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, "Upcoming Elections," accessed April 1, 2025
  16. ↑ Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, "Running for Office," accessed April 3, 2017
  17. ↑ Pitt News, "Peduto wins landslide mayoral victory," November 6, 2013
  18. ↑ The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Peduto wins Democratic nod for Pittsburgh mayoral race," May 22, 2013
  19. ↑ Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter, "What is home rule?" accessed October 27, 2014
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