Cory Bowman, the half-brother of Vice President J.D. Vance, was among several Republicans who suffered major defeats in Tuesday’s elections, losing the Cincinnati mayoral race to Democratic incumbent Aftab Pureval by a wide margin, as reported by The Blaze.

According to unofficial results from the Hamilton County Board of Elections, Pureval received 78.21 percent of the vote compared to Bowman’s 21.76 percent. Cincinnati, which has not elected a Republican mayor since 1971, once again sided decisively with the Democratic candidate.

Bowman, 36, entered the race earlier this year, saying he was motivated after watching President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. “I was just really inspired, because I look up to my brother not just as a political model but as a role model,” Bowman told Politico in May.

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During his campaign, Bowman focused on local concerns, pledging to address what he described as Cincinnati’s “deteriorating infrastructure, unsafe streets, and misallocated funds.”

Despite his efforts to distance himself from partisan divisions, his opponent repeatedly tied him to the national Republican brand.

In an October 9 mayoral debate, Pureval claimed Bowman “represents MAGA” and told voters, “You either support the Trump agenda or you don’t.”

The Democratic mayor, who first took office in January 2022, also reiterated in May that Cincinnati is a “sanctuary city” and should remain “a global destination for top-tier talent.”

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After the results were announced, Bowman called for unity and offered prayers for the city’s leadership. “Pray for our leadership,” he said.

“We have to pray for our city. We want them to win because — I’ve said this since the beginning of the campaign — we cannot copy and paste national politics when it comes to these city elections. We cannot just divide ourselves more and more when it comes to these cities. We want our cities to succeed.”

While Pureval had earlier criticized Bowman and his supporters as “MAGA extremists,” he later acknowledged that Bowman was “very classy” in how he handled the loss and said he would be open to potential collaboration.

Bowman concluded his concession speech by focusing on faith. “Government can’t fix everything,” he said.

“But you know what can fix everything is our relationship with Jesus Christ. And that’s why I want to encourage anybody watching, as well, if you’ve never given your heart to Jesus, if you’ve never even considered it, try it.”

The defeat was part of a broader trend on election night that saw multiple Republican candidates lose key races across the country.

In Virginia, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears lost the state’s gubernatorial race to Democrat Abigail Spanberger, while Republican strategist John Reid was defeated in the lieutenant governor’s race by state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi.

In New Jersey, Republican Jack Ciattarelli fell to Democrat Rep. Mikie Sherrill.

Bowman’s campaign emphasized his independence and local priorities, but his loss reflects the continued challenge Republicans face in deep-blue urban areas.

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