The mayoral contest in Democrat-run Cincinnati has come down to two candidates for November following Tuesday’s primary voting. On November 4, incumbent Aftab Pureval will oppose Cory Bowman, who is the half-brother of Vice President JD Vance.
If the primary results are any indication, Pureval is expected to win comfortably in November. Pureval, Cincinnati’s mayor since 2021, received 82.53% of the vote on Tuesday, or around 18,500 votes. Bowman received 12.91% of the votes, or a little under 2,900. Brian Patrick Frank, the third contender, was eliminated from the election with just 4.5 percent.
Bowman, the founder of The River Church in the West End and co-owner of Kings Arms Coffee, stated on Facebook that he is “excited” to go on to the general election.
“I’m deeply grateful to every Cincinnati voter who cast a ballot to advance us to the general election,” Bowman said. “My family and I are overwhelmed by the encouragement and support we’ve received over recent weeks, and we’re excited for all that will be accomplished in the months ahead.”
While the mayoral race is non-partisan, Bowman has made it clear he’s a Republican. He’s also mentioned his connection to Vice President Vance.
“Weeks ago, my flight touched down at CVG, returning home from the most monumental inauguration in my generation,” Bowman wrote in his official campaign announcement. “When I landed, I knew the city where my family and I live and love cannot fall behind in the critical years ahead.”
Vance offered an endorsement of his half-brother on primary day, writing on X, “Hey Cincinnati! My brother Cory Bowman is running for mayor and is on the ballot today for the primary. He’s a good guy with a heart for serving his community. Get out there and vote for him!”
However, even the current Republican vice president’s endorsement may not be enough in November. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris received 56% of the vote in Hamilton County, compared to 42% for President Donald Trump.
While Republican mayors were historically frequent in Cincinnati, the city has not elected a Republican to the position since returning to direct elections in 2001.
The last Republican mayor, Ken Blackwell, served from 1979 to 1980 under the council-manager system.
Unless there is a huge setback or controversy, Pureval is expected to win the November battle. Nonetheless, he looks forward to discussing Bowman.
“Residents deserve a substantive and healthy debate of ideas about the future of our city,” Pureval wrote following the primary results. “I’m excited to keep up the work to earn their support for another four years as Mayor.”
JD Vance made headlines earlier this week when he feigned surprise and shock at a question posed to him by Fox News anchor Bret Baier during an interview.
Specifically, Vance responded to a potential future scenario where left-wing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was elected president.
“You talk a lot about policy, but just the politics. And I know it’s very Washington to talk about politics. But when the president says 2028 and he has the Trump 2028 hat, what do you think? I mean, what — are you thinking, is this real? Are you thinking about that? What’s your reaction to that?” Baier asked.
“So, I was in the Oval Office a couple of days ago, and there were some Trump 2028 hats floating around. And I put one on, and I said: “Mr. President, if you took a photo of this, this would go super viral,” Vance said.
“And we joked about it and laughed. Look, what I have said, Bret, is, I think the president and I are going to be working together for years to come. I think that we have a rare opportunity over these next three years to actually undo a lot of damage that was caused by not just the Biden administration, by 40 years of failed policy, but I think build a true American renaissance. That’s what we’re excited about. That’s what I’m going to try to do. And if we succeed, then the politics will take care of themselves. And if we don’t succeed, the politics will take care of themselves that way,” Vance added.