7 Pennsylvania mayoral races to watch in 2025

While the 2024 general election may seem like it happened just yesterday, Pennsylvania’s 2025 municipal elections will be here in due time, and voters across the commonwealth will have important decisions to make, especially when it comes to electing leaders in several large cities. 

Mayor’s offices will be up for grabs in cities throughout the commonwealth, including in Pittsburgh, Erie, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Scranton, among others. Ahead of this year’s mayoral elections – some of which could effectively be decided in the May 20 primary election – City & State has rounded up several mayoral races to watch in 2025. 

Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey announced his campaign for reelection last September surrounded by supporters at the Fern Hollow Bridge, the location of a 2022 bridge collapse that came just hours before then-President Joe Biden was set to visit the city to promote his landmark infrastructure law. Gainey said in September that the ensuing response and rebuild of the bridge set the tone for his administration. 

When announcing his reelection campaign, Gainey touted several other accomplishments from his first term, including receiving 12 low-income housing tax credits from the state, securing a $30 million bond for affordable housing construction and preservation, implementing traffic calming measures throughout the city and negotiating a new contract with the city’s police. 

However, several other Pittsburgh leaders have jumped into the mayoral race seeking to unseat Gainey in this year’s election. Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor announced his bid for the Democratic nomination in December, while Republican candidates Tony Moreno and Thomas West both entered the race in January. O’Connor, a former Pittsburgh City Councilmember whose father was elected mayor in 2005, said in his campaign announcement that the city is “going backwards” and pledged to take on Pittsburgh’s most pressing problems, citing crime, housing affordability and population decline. 

West, a local business owner who owns the Trim Pittsburgh men’s clothing store, said when launching his campaign that public safety should be a top priority for city government while also calling for improvements to the city’s business climate and championing fiscal responsibility. Moreno, a retired police detective who ran for mayor in 2021, similarly said in January that he would make public safety a top issue, and also pledged to bring accountability and transparency to city government.

Harrisburg: Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams is hoping voters in the state’s capital city will reelect her to a second term after she defeated longtime incumbent Eric Papenfuse in 2021. Williams, who previously served as the president of Harrisburg City Council from 2010 to 2021, announced her bid for reelection during her 2024 State of the City address, where she highlighted her administration’s record on affordable housing development, youth programs and traffic improvements. 

Williams said Harrisburg’s “best days are ahead” and listed some of her top second-term priorities: rebuilding the city’s fire-ravaged Broad Street Market, improving city finances to shed the city’s Act 47 financial recovery designation and transforming the city’s downtown economy. “We can no longer be simply a hub for just state workers. We must develop a downtown that appeals to the masses, far and wide,” Williams said.

Williams already has a few challengers lining up to face her in the Democratic primary. Harrisburg City Councilmember Lamont Jones, Harrisburg City Treasurer Dan Miller, and gun violence prevention advocate Tone Cook have all launched their own campaigns. Jones has promised to bring a “new vision” to the mayor’s office. His campaign website highlights reducing crime, gun violence, and economic development as two priorities. He’s scored early endorsements from Harrisburg City Council President Danielle Bowers and Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas. 

Miller, who has served as city treasurer since 2016 and was previously on City Council, is pledging to restore the Broad Street Market, stabilize city finances and improve public safety through camera surveillance, proactive policing intervention and community policing. Cook, the gun violence prevention advocate, is running on reducing crime and improving relations between residents and police, attracting new businesses to the city, and expanding youth mentorship and educational programs. 

Allentown: Matt Tuerk has been mayor of Allentown since January 2022, when he became the first Latino mayor in Allentown’s history. He announced his bid for reelection in November 2024, listing some of his top accomplishments from his first term – including keeping tax rates flat, attracting federal funding to the city and a decrease in crime, according to LehighValleyNews.com. During his 2025 State of the City address in January, Tuerk praised Allentown Chief of Police Charles Roca and the city’s officers for a drop in crime: “Our police department, under Chief Charles Roca’s leadership, has cut violent crime down to almost half of what it was 10 years ago – and by 25% from when he and I started … We saw just four homicides in 2024 and that’s the city's lowest number since 1989. That’s a fact.”

Several challengers are hoping to unseat Tuerk in 2025, including Allentown City Council President Cynthia Mota, as well as City Councilmember Ed Zucal, a vocal critic of Tuerk. Zucal has said the city is “going backward” and that public safety would be a top concern under his administration, while Mota told LehighValleyNews.com that she’s running for mayor “because Allentown deserves a leader who will prioritize prosperity and inclusion and economic opportunities for every resident.”

Bethlehem: Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds kicked off his reelection campaign in the second half of February and will face at least one other challenger in the Democratic primary: Bethlehem City Councilmember Grace Crampsie Smith. Reynolds, in his city budget address given last October, said his administration will continue to prioritize sound budgeting and fiscal restraint, characterizing Bethlehem as “a city you want to invest in,” according to The Morning Call.

Crampsie Smith announced her primary campaign for mayor in January, saying she is  “committed to leading Bethlehem toward a future that balances smart development with the preservation of our rich history and unique neighborhoods,” according to WFMZ. Top priorities in a Crampsie Smith administration would be public health and safety, economic and community development, access to housing, and fiscal responsibility, she said.

Erie: Democrat Joe Schember is hoping Erie voters will reelect him to a third term as mayor in 2025, though he will have to fend off several challenges to get there. Schember announced his bid for reelection in a Facebook post on Jan. 16, touting the city’s work under his administration to prevent tax increases for six straight years; secure more than $120 million in grant funds’ lower crime and unemployment; and obtain a City Revitalization and Improvement Zone designation from the state. “As good as these successes are, there is still much work to accomplish,” he said in his reelection announcement. “In the next four years, my team and I will continue to work on initiatives to increase jobs, develop more quality housing, reduce the City’s debt and structural deficit, and decrease crime.” 

Taking on Schember in the primary is Daria Devlin, the director of social impact at the Hamot Health Foundation and a member of the Erie School Board. According to her campaign website, Devlin said the city is facing a financial cliff, with her campaign focused on four major policy areas: housing, economic and workforce development, youth engagement and balanced, responsible budgeting. Independent candidate Julie Minich is also running for the mayor’s office, though she won’t be on the ballot during the primary election, according to Erie News Now. 

Scranton: To date, three candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for this year’s mayoral election in Scranton. Democratic incumbent Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti is seeking reelection after winning a special election in 2019 and being reelected to a full term in 2021. Her campaign website highlights her efforts to fight against water rate increases, improve the city’s financial standing and economic climate, and invest in law enforcement. 

The Times-Tribune reported in February that Cognetti will have a primary challenge from Eugene “Gene” Barrett, a former Scranton City Council member and former director of the Scranton Sewer Authority, while former Scranton School Board President Robert Sheridan also announced his intent to run for the Democratic nomination. According to the outlet, Sheridan has said he ”will fight for the neighborhoods, support real open government transparency and request public input on how their services can better provide for our residents.”

Lancaster: With Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace choosing not to seek another term as the city’s chief executive this year, two Democrats have entered the race to succeed her. Both Lancaster City Vice President Jaime Arroyo and City Councilmember Janet Diaz are running for the Democratic nomination. In a video announcing his candidacy for mayor, Arroyo emphasized his work on City Council, which focuses on lead abatement and housing issues. “While we have made great progress in our city, there are still challenges we need to tackle and problems to solve,” Arroyo stated.

Diaz announced her campaign last October, and her campaign website lists debt reduction, economic growth, government transparency, community safety and affordable housing as top priorities if elected. “I will fight for truth, justice and opportunities for all, ensuring transparency and accountable leadership that Lancaster’s resilient community deserves,” Diaz said in October when announcing her mayoral bid, according to WGAL.