PITTSBURGH — With the primary election five weeks away, mayoral campaigns are in full gear, and the candidates continue trading barbs over campaign donations.
Chief Investigator Rick Earle took a closer look at the campaign finance reports. Here’s what he discovered.
RELATED >>> Channel 11 hosts democratic mayoral debate between Ed Gainey, Corey O’Connor on Thursday
“This morning we learned that the same MAGA billionaires and Trump advisors are trying to buy the Mayor’s election in Pittsburgh,” Mayor Ed Gainey said at a news conference in March.
Mayor Gainey, at that news conference, was blasting challenger Corey O’Connor for taking campaign donations from supporters who helped put Trump in the White House and meeting with republican advisors.
O’Connor’s campaign brushed off the meeting, saying both republicans and democrats attended. They claim Gainey accepted donations from MAGA supporters, too.
Mike Mikus is a political consultant who supports O’Connor.
“It’s funny, you know, 20.3% of the money Ed Gainey has taken since January of 2024 has come from republicans,” Mikus said.
11 Investigates reviewed the list of campaign donations and discovered both O’Connor and Gainey took money from people who gave to both republicans and democrats.
“Again, he doesn’t want to talk about the real issues, and when you look back and he got the same dollars as I did, what are you arguing?” O’Connor said.
Earle asked Gainey about that.
Gainey campaign staffer Sam Wasserman also attended the interview and spoke out.
Earle: You yourself took money from some MAGA donors?
Gainey: No, no there was one and we sent it back.
Earle: Jason Lardo, Jason Lardo gave money to Trump and he gave money to you.
Wasserman: Someone who gave to Josh Shapiro.
Earle: Absolutely, what’s the difference? What’s the difference?
Gainey: There are republicans and democrats that give to both republicans and democrats, that’s across the board. What we didn’t take was any MAGA money.
But, campaign finance reports reveal Gainey got $3,100 from local developer Jason Lardo, who also donated nearly $9,000 to Trump and his PACS.
And local developer Jim Scalo gave $13,880 to Trump in 2020 and $5,000 to Gainey a year later.
But Gainey said he’s not talking about those donors, but big MAGA donors, like Pittsburgh philanthropist Herb Shear, who gave tens of thousands of dollars to the Trump Victory Fund and also donated to O’Connor.
Shear has also donated to other democratic candidates.
And local coal magnate J. Clifford Forrest, a big Trump donor over the years, who gave to O’Connor. He also gave to Gainey’s campaign four years ago.
Gainey’s campaign called it an oversight and said they returned the money several months ago.
“What he’s trying to do is create a diversionary issue that will distract voters from his record,” Mikus said.
Gainey’s campaign, in a recent attack ad, also criticized O’Connor for taking donations from developers.
Earle: He (Gainey) also drilled down on not only on MAGA money, but money from developers and contractors.
Mikus: He’s taken money from developers and contractors. In fact, I guarantee you can call any contractor, and he’s called them and asked them for money within the last few months.
While O’Connor, who’s criticized Gainey’s handling of city finances and public safety, has accepted money from developers and contractors, finance reports show Gainey, who touts expanding affordable housing and a declining murder rate, has too.
According to the most recent campaign finance report, Gainey took in at least $4,500 from five different developers, including the owner of Oxford Development.
She has given money to both candidates.
Earle: Corey says you took the same money from those developers in the previous cycle, the beginning of the cycle?
Gainey: But what he didn’t say is that I’m requiring everybody to one, I’m requiring affordability of all housing projects of over 20 units or more. We have an affordable housing plan that is etched in stone that we want to see to help repopulate this city, that’s extremely important.
The primary is May 20th.
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