Vice President J.D. Vance’s half-brother, Cory Bowman, lost in the race for mayor of Cincinnati against incumbent Democrat Aftab Pureval.
Mr. Pureval received more than 80% of the vote during the May open primary, making Mr. Bowman’s GOP run a long shot.
While technically a nonpartisan office, Republicans haven’t had a nominee on the general election ballot for Cincinnati mayor in over a decade.
Mr. Pureval was first elected mayor in 2021 after defeating former Cincinnati Mayor David Mann, a Democrat.
Crime and safety were the predominant issues in the race, especially after high-profile incidents this summer, including a race-fueled street brawl downtown that was captured on video and garnered national attention.
Mr. Bowman campaigned on conservative values and criticized what he called “City Hall’s out-of-touch priorities.”
The pastor and coffee shop co-owner has never held public office but was inspired to run after Mr. Vance’s inauguration as vice president.
In May, the vice president publicly supported Mr. Bowman in a social media post, calling him “a good guy with a heart for serving his community.”
