Last week, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey got his hackles up about money. Was it about the financial troubles his city finds itself experiencing? Nope.
It was about the funds of his Democratic challenger, Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor.
Gainey, running for reelection, is in the same position his predecessor, Bill Peduto, was in back in 2021. He is facing his greatest threat in the primary. That means both sides are coming out swinging in March.
Gainey’s campaign said O’Connor has brought in almost $133,000 from donors who supported Republicans.
The O’Connor campaign swung back, pointing to $82,000 in similar donations to Gainey.
And then there are those who donate to both, like J. Clifford Forrest, CEO of Rosebud Mining and owner of Pittsburgh Brewing Co. The Gainey camp countered that the $5,000 in donations from Forrest had been returned and gave photographic evidence to show as much.
This public spat is the most recent example of the way our fractured, partisan politics is dividing not only Washington but even Pittsburgh, which hasn’t had a Republican mayor since the Great Depression.
“If you take MAGA money, you carry MAGA values,” said Eddie Carpio, policy organizer at the Pittsburgh-based immigrant advocacy group Casa San Jose.
This comes on the heels of Republican advancement in regional politics.
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. won his 2023 campaign based on GOP support after losing the primary to his Democratic opponent. There are two Republicans vying for the Pittsburgh mayor’s seat — business owner Thomas West and former police Officer Tony Moreno — after decades of all but ceding the race to the Democrats.
There are also Republicans stepping up for City Council seats. Some office holders or candidates in Westmoreland County have changed party, like Sheriff James Albert and register of wills candidate Katie Pecarchik. Albert was elected as a Democrat in 2019 and changed party affiliations in 2020. Pecarchik ran for register as a Democrat in 2019.
But money is an easy way of measuring support ahead of elections. It is not surprising to see Republican donors getting on board with Gainey and O’Connor. As the incumbent, Gainey holds a lot of potential. O’Connor is not just an office holder in his own right, but he’s also the son of late Pittsburgh Councilman and Mayor Bob O’Connor.
Giving to multiple candidates is a way some donors hope to curry favor with the winner, whoever that may be. But accepting money might not be worth it for candidates who can’t afford to appear aligned with donors who voters don’t like.