Latest news with #CincinnatiElection
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
JD Vance didn't vote for his half-brother in Cincinnati's mayoral primary despite posting endorsement
Vice President JD Vance didn't vote for his half-brother in the Cincinnati Ohio, non-partisan mayoral primary on May 6 despite posting an endorsement of him ahead of the vote. Vance, a former Ohio senator, advocated for Cory Bowman just hours before polls closed. Bowman received 2,926 votes, but Vance wasn't one of them, according to the voter list collated by the Hamilton County Board of Elections, which revealed Vance didn't cast a ballot in the race, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Records from the Elections Board reveal whether a voter cast a ballot and if they voted for a Democrat or a Republican, but it doesn't show which candidate they backed. Vance has a residence and is registered to vote in the East Walnut Hill neighborhood of the city. The Enquirer asked Bowman why Vance didn't vote for him. "I don't have any information or comment on that," Bowman said. Bowman, who shares a father with Vance, came in second out of three candidates in the primary, meaning that he will have a place in the general election. However, he came far behind Democratic Mayor Aftab Pureval, receiving 13 percent of the vote to Pureval's 83 percent. Pureval and Bowman will face off on November 4. Bowman, a Republican from the College Hill neighborhood of the city, is set to face a difficult struggle in a city where President Donald Trump and Vance lost by a three-to-one margin in last year's presidential election. Then-Vice President Kamala Harris received 76 percent of the city's vote to Trump's 24 percent. Similarly, all of Cincinnati City Council's current members are Democrats. 'I'm deeply grateful to every Cincinnati voter who cast a ballot to advance us to the general election,' Bowman said on X after the vote. 'The greatest gift local government can offer its residents is a choice. That's exactly what voters will have this November. There's much work ahead, and we're ready to show our great city that we're the best candidate for the job.' '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,' he added. Cincinnati is a strongly Democratic city, and Republicans haven't put forward a candidate since future congressman Brad Wenstrup lost to Mark Mallory in 2009. Bowman serves as a pastor at the River Church in the West End neighborhood, and he also runs the King's Arms Coffee Shop in College Hill. He has previously said he was inspired to run for office after attending the inauguration of Trump and Vance in January. 'As I was flying back here from the inauguration, it occurred to me that I could do something to serve the community,' he said previously. It has been reported that Vance spent time on the Bowman farm in Preble County in his youth, and the younger half-brother, Bowman, who is 36 while Vance is 40, has described their relationship as a 'friendly sibling rivalry.'
CNN
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval to face Cory Bowman, JD Vance's half brother, this fall
Cincinnati, Ohio AP — Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval will face Cory Bowman, the half brother of Vice President JD Vance, this fall after the pair were the top two vote-getters in Tuesday's primary. Pureval placed a dominant first in the nonpartisan three-way contest, in which third-place finisher Republican Brian Frank was eliminated. Under the rules of the southwest Ohio city's nonpartisan primaries, only the top two primary finishers advance to the November general election. With nearly all votes counted, Pureval led Bowman by about 70 percentage points Tuesday night, highlighting the uphill fight that Bowman will face in November. If Bowman pulls an upset in this predominantly Democratic city, he would be the latest family member of a president or vice president to serve in office. That includes the brother of Mike Pence, President Donald Trump's first vice president, elected to Congress during their previous administration. In a statement, Pureval said the city deserves a 'substantive and healthy debate of ideas about the future of our city' headed into the fall. 'There is work ahead of us in Cincinnati, but I am incredibly proud of what we've accomplished over the past few years,' he said. 'We have made meaningful, tangible progress for folks across our community, and this is a moment to keep building on the momentum we've worked so hard to create.' Bowman did not have an immediate comment. He has said he wants to improve his city, not get involved in national politics. Pureval, 42, is viewed as a Democratic up-and-comer. A former special assistant U.S. attorney, congressional candidate and Hamilton County clerk of courts. He won the 2021 mayor's race with nearly 66% of the vote to lead Ohio's third-largest city. Bowman, 36, co-founded an evangelical church on the city's West End and owns a coffee shop. He has never held public office but says his half brother's inauguration inspired him to enter politics. Vance didn't take an active role in the campaign, but he posted a message of support for Bowman on Tuesday. 'He's a good guy with a heart for serving his community,' the vice president wrote on X. 'Get out there and vote for him!' Bowman thanked Vance in reply: 'Love you brother!'
