Pittsburgh reacts to Gainey primary win

PITTSBURGH — Following Tuesday’s primary election, Pittsburgh is one step closer to electing the city’s first Black mayor.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Ed Gainey beat out incumbent mayor Bill Peduto for the Democratic endorsement for the position. No Republican candidates are running in the contest, so Gainey is the presumptive winner in November’s general election. Pittsburgh hasn’t elected a Republican mayor since the 1930s.

Bill Peduto, who has served as the mayor of Pittsburgh since 2014, conceded the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s primary election to Gainey.

Gainey, 51, is serving his fifth term representing the 24th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

“This election made history, and I’m ready to go to work building a Pittsburgh where all can belong, contribute, and succeed,” Gainey said in a statement.

Organizations within the city are reacting to the news Wednesday.

“I believe him. I think he has a lot of great experience to hopefully push some actual change,” voter Amber Kanoza said.

College student Alyssa Huie said she is excited.

“I think it’s time for change and progress and I think this could be the dawn of a new era for Pittsburgh,” she said.

Kyna James, coalition organizer for the Alliance for Police Accountability said growing up in Pittsburgh, “you kind of lose hope, and I think the actions of last year pushed people to want to step up.”

“I love Ed as an individual. Every time me and Ed get together, it’s always good time,” she said. “It’s always very laid back. He’s never had a conversation with me where he was trying to be a politician.”

Media personality Kiki Brown can relate. She says Gainey has known her since she was a young girl.

“If I could sum it down to one word I would say ‘genuine.’ I never got a politician with him. I never did,” she said.

Gainey is a husband and a father who grew up in Pittsburgh and knew he wanted to create a better future for the city at a young age after he lost his friends to violence and drugs. But his inspiration to get into politics began at Morgan State University where he graduated before going to work on the staffs of two mayors as a community development specialist. He became a Pennsylvania state representative in 2012.

He acknowledged the historic moment on Twitter and also said in part, “I’m honored, humbled, and proud that the people of Pittsburgh have placed their faith in me by making me their democratic nominee for the office of mayor.”

“We will work hard. Not just I as mayor, but we as community and we as city will work to build a better city called Pittsburgh for everybody,” Gainey said.

Kenneth Huston, Pennsylvania president of the NAACP, said, “It speaks volumes that all these years since the city of Pittsburgh was founded we wait until 2021 to get out first black mayor. That’s just astounding to me,” he said. “I know I’m going to do everything I can to be a support in whatever way that looks like for Mr. Gainey.”

Ed Gainey defeats incumbent Bill Peduto in Pittsburgh mayoral race

Cox Media Group