PITTSBURGH — The rise of the Democratic left in Pittsburgh did not happen overnight. While Pittsburgh learned early, the rest of the Democratic Party is still catching up. The result is a Democratic Party in Pittsburgh that no longer resembles the one that governed here for generations. Gainey would later lose in yet another Democratic primary in 2025, this time to more moderate Democrat Corey O'Connor. That matters because Pittsburgh's version of this story unfolded before Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 primary win in New York made national headlines.