PITTSBURGH, PA - With 85% of the vote, the AP called the race for Corey O'Connor. Currently, O'Connor is leading Gainey by 8%.
Developers and UPMC heavily backed O'Connor. His campaign drew accusations of race-baiting for repeatedly claiming that crime had gone up under Gainey, the city's first Black Mayor, when statistics showed that Crime had actually gone down under Gainey.
Noting developers have supported O’Connor by a margin of 4-to-1, Gainey said attacks on his zoning initiatives are yet another sign that O’Connor is the candidate of the developers.
“For decades, the rich and developers have ruled things in this city and now with Corey O’Connor, they want to take back that power because I am trying to help poor people,” Gainey told Payday Report.
O'Connor also repeatedly crossed the picket line at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to attack Gainey. Reporters had been on strike at the newspaper for more than 2 years and has asked politicians not to cross the picket line.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine has also played a role in the race. In August, Gainey’s communication director, Maria Montaño, resigned after blowback stemming from her signature on a petition calling on the city to avoid firms with ties to Israel.
Gainey's call for a ceasefire angered many Zionists in the city.
“We have asked time and time again for (Gainey) to be our ally and to stand up for us — and unfortunately, we have been met with great disappointment,” Jeremy Kazzaz, executive director of the local Beacon Coalition, a pro-Israel Jewish advocacy group, told Jewish Insider earlier this year.
The defeat of Gainey could encourage challengers to Congresswoman Summer Lee, an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights, who is up for re-election next year.
Donate to help Payday continue to expose dark money in Pittsburgh
