Cincinnati mayoral candidates Brian Frank, left, incumbent Mayor Aftab Pureval and Cory Bowman take the stage during The Cincinnati Enquirer mayoral debate at the Covedale Center for the Arts Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Cory Bowman, Vice President JD Vance's half-brother and candidate for Cincinnati mayor, spoke at the University of Cincinnati vigil for Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot at an event at Utah Valley University Sept. 10.

Vice President JD Vance's half-brother, Republican Cory Bowman, lost his long-shot bid in the nationally-watched Cincinnati mayoral race, falling short against Democratic incumbent Aftab Pureval.

The Associated Press and CNN both declared Pureval the winner.

Crime had dominated the headlines and campaign in the southern Ohio race.

Cincinnati leaders faced criticism this summer after several high-profile crimes, including the stabbing of Patrick Heringer in his home and the video of a brawl downtown that went viral.

Bowman and Republicans tried to paint the city as overrun with crime. Pureval countered that the city leadership combatted crime through numerous measures, including implementing a stricter curfew and recruiting more officers.

In a debate with Bowman sponsored by The Enquirer, a USA TODAY Network partner, Pureval called Bowman and his supporters "MAGA extremists."

The race was officially nonpartisan, but Bowman won an endorsement from the local GOP while Pureval had the backing of local Democrats.

Vance hasn't contributed to Bowman's campaign

One notable absence from Bowman's donor list: Vance.

Vance didn't contribute to Bowman's campaign, and he didn't get involved publicly beyond a post on the social media site X on primary day, urging people to vote for his half-brother. Voting records show Vance, who lives and is registered to vote in Cincinnati's East Walnut Hills neighborhood, did not vote in the primary.

Bowman has said he was not looking to his half-brother for political support. When the pair talk, it's usually about "Star Wars" or their children, he said.

"He'll ask how the campaign's doing, and I'll ask him how being vice president is, and it's usually a short talk," Bowman said. "At the end of this, I would rather have a brother than a political advisor."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: VP Vance's half-brother loses in challenge of Cincinnati's Democratic mayor

Reporting by Scott Wartman, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

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