PITTSBURGH, PA — Today, the Working Families Party announced its endorsement of incumbent Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey for re-election.

In his first term as Mayor, Gainey has taken corporate real estate developers driving up Pittsburgh’s housing prices, protected the city from Donald Trump, and pushed back against UPMC executives ripping the city off.

“Mayor Gainey has been a champion for the people of Pittsburgh and has delivered transformational progress bringing in those who’ve been historically left out,” said Ashley Comans, the Western Pennsylvania Political Director for the Working Families Party. “He’s fighting for residents who have been displaced due to years of corporate housing takeover, taking on Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, supporting our unhoused communities, and being an example for our young people. Mayor Gainey is the candidate who will truly create a Pittsburgh where everyone feels safe and welcomed. He is the exact fighter we need in today’s climate, and the Working Families Party is proud to endorse him.”

“I am honored to accept the endorsement of the Working Families Party at a time when our most marginalized communities are under attack by Trump, Musk, and the MAGA machine,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “As Mayor I have fought to build a Pittsburgh where everyone can thrive regardless of economic status, race, gender, or zip code. Throughout my tenure, we’ve achieved transformational progress to make government accountable and accessible to the people who need it most, reduce violence by taking a holistic approach to reimagining public safety, and made historic investments in youth programming, downtown revitalization, and affordable housing.”

This week, the Working Families Party’s Independent Expenditure began spending on television ads supporting Gainey ahead of the May 20th primary. 

Since becoming Mayor, Gainey has accomplished numerous wins for Pittsburgh, including:

• Reducing the burden on police and combating the root causes of crime, resulting in a 33% drop in homicides and 44% drop in non-fatal shootings.
  
• Reaching the city’s first police union contract in 20 years through negotiation and not arbitration. The contract will help recruit and retain officers, civilianize non-essential police functions, and hold police officers more accountable.
  
• Securing 2,000 more units of affordable housing either built or in the pipeline.
  
• Proposing a housing plan called “Keep Pittsburgh Home” to fight back against predatory landlords and developers pushing out working class neighbors from the city.
  
• Taking on Trump by: pledging no cooperation with Trump’s ICE except when presented with a valid criminal warrant, while backfilling refugee resettlement programs, and suing to stop Trump’s freeze on federal programs.

Recent endorsements by the Working Families Party in Allegheny County have been backed up by tangible investments. During Summer Lee’s 2024 primary election, WFP convened an independent expenditure table that spent over $500k on digital and TV ads. In the 2023 primary for Allegheny County Executive, the Working Families Party backed up its endorsement of Sara Innamorato with critical support, including $400,000 on digital and TV ads supporting Sara and her vision for Allegheny County. In 2022, when Lee was running in an open-seat primary, WFP and allies spent $1.5 million in support on TV and digital ads, direct mail, and door knocking.

The Working Families Party is building a movement of everyday people fighting for a nation that cares for all of us. It is organizing in more than a dozen states, and it wages and wins electoral campaigns in every part of the country. It has emerged as a powerful force in Philadelphia, electing two WFP city councilmembers, and has played a pivotal role in helping Summer Lee and Sara Innamorato win heavily contested primaries and general elections in Allegheny County.