Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval has won re-election in a landslide, defeating Cory Bowman, the half-brother of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, according to projections from the Associated Press and CNN.
Pureval, a Democrat, secured nearly 80% of the vote — earning 51,698 votes to Bowman’s 14,383 (22%) — the *Cincinnati Enquirer* reported. The race was called early after Pureval took a commanding lead of more than 10,000 votes.
This victory marks Pureval’s second term as mayor, following his historic 2021 win as Cincinnati’s first Asian-American leader. Though the mayoral race is officially nonpartisan, Pureval has long been aligned with the Democratic Party.
Bowman, a Republican pastor and coffee shop owner, received an endorsement from his half-brother JD Vance during the city’s primary election earlier this year. However, the Vice President did not publicly back him during the general election, instead focusing on other Republican campaigns — including his support for New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli.
Born in Ohio to a Punjabi father and a Tibetan refugee mother, Pureval has frequently cited his immigrant heritage as a source of pride and motivation. After earning his law degree from the University of Cincinnati, he worked in Washington, D.C., before returning home to serve as a special assistant U.S. attorney and later as legal counsel for Procter & Gamble’s Olay brand.
Bowman, 36, is the founder of The River Church in Cincinnati and owner of Kings Arms Coffee. He and JD Vance share the same father, Donald Ray Bowman, but reconnected only in their teenage years. Despite their family ties, Vance’s involvement in Bowman’s campaign appeared minimal, with no public appearances or financial contributions recorded.
