Two challengers to Peduto emerge

PIttsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto won the Democratic primary convincingly in May, but he may face opponents in November.

Two candidates for mayor not affiliated with the major parties filed election petitions to appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.

One, Khalid Raheem, is a longtime local activist with the National Council for Urban Peace and Justice. He is credited with helping negotiate a truce among gang leaders in the 1990s, and has been a strident voice on police accountability.

Mr. Raheem, of Manchester, is running as a candidate for the New Afrikan Independence Party, which he founded. He challenged Denise Ranalli-Russell for Allegheny County Council’s District 13 seat in 2015, but lost by an 87 percent to 12 percent margin.

In an interview this week, Mr. Raheem noted that petitions could be challenged until early next week, and said, “I don’t want to be premature in terms of public announcements. I’ve sought out [a spot on the ballot] and will be making a formal announcement about my campaign next week.”

A second candidate, Downtown resident James Rack, also filed petitions in the race. Mr. Rack, an independent candidate whose petitions identify him as unemployed, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The deadline for challenging petitions is Tuesday.

Matt Merriman-Preston, a top campaign adviser for Mr. Peduto, declined to comment on the mayor’s potential rivals.