Republican pastor and coffee shop co-owner Cory Bowman lost his bid for mayor of Cincinnati on Tuesday, falling to Democrat incumbent Aftab Pureval, according to multiple reports.
With all 190 Cincinnati precincts reporting, Pureval led with 78% of the unofficial vote, compared to Bowman’s nearly 22%.
Bowman’s campaign, which drew national attention because he is the half-brother of Vice President JD Vance, was unable to overcome the city’s deep Democratic Party lean.
Pureval secured a strong reelection victory, marking his second four-year term in office without serious challenge.
Bowman, despite his high-profile connection and conservative platform, faced an uphill battle in a city that has not elected a Republican mayor in decades.
Officially, the race was nonpartisan; however, Bowman was endorsed by the local GOP and Pureval garnered the support of local Democrats.
Bowman campaigned on crime reduction, infrastructure improvement, and local business growth, positioning himself as a fresh conservative alternative in a city firmly under Democrat control. Yet his message failed to gain sufficient traction among Cincinnati voters.
Vance did not donate to Bowman’s campaign and did not publicly endorse his half-brother beyond a post on X before the primary, urging the people of Cincinnati to vote for him.
“He’s a good guy with a heart for serving his community,” Vance wrote in May. “Get out there and vote for him!”
Bowman’s defeat underscores the challenge of Republican-aligned candidates in heavily left-leaning urban areas, even when backed by a national figure. Political analysts say the loss will send a signal to GOP strategists about the limits of national-level branding in local contests.
Bowman said after the result that he remains committed to his community work and that the mayoral campaign was just one chapter in his story.
Following his victory, Pureval thanked his supporters and promised to continue advancing his agenda for Cincinnati’s future.
“The work remains ahead,” Pureval said. “We have to continue to prioritize public safety, continue to prioritize basic services, continue to work with this council to build more housing, and create more jobs and opportunities.”
“This city has to work for all of us, not just some of us,” he added.
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