Pittsburgh elected its first Black mayor in history on Tuesday night, bringing new life and a vision of unity, diversity and affordable housing to the city with the help of Democrat Ed Gainey. 

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Gainey was leading over his Republican challenger Tony Moreno by more than 28,000 votes as of shortly after midnight, with a total of 71% of votes to his 29%. 

Gainey celebrated his victory in a Twitter thread, saying it was a victory not only for himself, but for Pittsburgh as well. 

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“This City never gave up on me, no matter how tough it got, and I will always believe in Pittsburgh,” he said in a tweet. “I know that we can bring this City together. Our rivers and valleys keep us apart, but that’s why we built the bridges to connect us together; now is the time to continue that work, to build not just connections but bonds of community.” 

Gainey said that together, the community can come together to create a city that is safe, affordable and varied for everyone. He added that a city that values the hardworking people who built, maintain and keep it running is also not out of reach. 

“We can be a city where everyone can belong and contribute, where everyone has a seat at the table, where no one is left behind or pushed out. But we’re only now getting to the hard part,” he said in a tweet. 

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Gainey centered his campaign on opportunities for good union jobs that include living wages and benefits, affordable housing and ensured public safety, among other key issues. 

His in-office commitments, according to his website, include bringing new leadership and vision to the 24th Legislative District’s diverse neighborhoods, as well as fighting for an increase in the Pennsylvania minimum wage, transportation projects, mass transit funding, criminal justice reform, the legalization of medicinal marijuana and quality education.