Indian-origin Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval wins second term, vanquishes JD Vance’s half-brother

Indian-origin Aftab Pureval made history in 2021 when he became Cincinnati’s first Asian-American Mayor after winning the election, and on Wednesday he reinforced his position by winning the second term with over 80% of the votes and, in the process, crushing the Republican nominee Cory Bowman, who is the half-brother of US Vice President JD Vance, by a huge margin. Earlier this year, Pureval had already shown his strong public support by sweeping the all-party municipal primary in May with more than 80 per cent of the vote. Although the mayor’s office is non-partisan, Pureval is aligned with the Democratic Party. Before stepping into politics, Pureval worked as a lawyer.

Pureval born to Punjabi father and Tibetan mom

Pureval was born to a Punjabi father and a Tibetan refugee mother in Ohio. From a young age, he was politically inclined, winning his first-ever student election in class 8 under the slogan “Big, Brown and Beautiful.”

He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and then moved to Washington, D.C., in 2008, where he worked at a law firm. Four years later, he returned to Hamilton County, Ohio, to serve as a special assistant US attorney with the Department of Justice.

In 2013, he joined Ohio-based consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble as legal counsel, where he worked as the global brand attorney for popular skincare brand Olay. Three years later, he left the company to formally launch his political career but success eluded him initially. In 2018, Pureval contested the election for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District but lost to Republican incumbent Steve Chabot.

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Pureval announced his candidacy for the Cincinnati mayoral election in 2021 and emerged as the frontrunner in the primary elections with 39 percent of the votes in a crowded field of six candidates.

Eventually, he defeated fellow Democrat and former mayor David S Mann with 66 per cent of the vote, making history as Cincinnati’s first Asian-American mayor.

Last year, while endorsing former vice president Kamala Harris in the presidential race, Pureval dwelt on his family’s immigrant journey and wrote, “Forty-four years ago, my parents left Tibet and India... They travelled across the world because they believed in the promise of America.”

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JD Vance’s half-brother Cory Bowman is a pastor, coffee shop owner

Cory Bowman, 36, and Vice President JD Vance share the same father, Donald Ray Bowman, but only connected later in life. Vance writes in his memoir that Donald Ray Bowman was largely absent during his childhood, prompting his mother to sever ties and even change his surname to her maiden name, and as a result, Vance was unaware of his half-siblings for many years. He and Cory Bowman reconnected in their teens after Vance expressed a desire to meet.

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When JD Vance was officially nominated as President Donald Trump’s running mate at the Republican National Convention in July 2024, Cory Bowman was in attendance to show his support for his half-brother.

An evangelical pastor, Cory Bowman and his wife, founded The River Church, a non-denominational outfit. He also owns the Kings Arms Coffee in Cincinatti since 2022. He announced his mayoral bid in February 2025 and Vance, who did not get politically involved in Cory Bowman’s campaign, publicly urged voters to support his half-brother.

“Hey Cincinnati! My brother Cory Bowman is running for mayor and is on the ballot today for the primary. He’s a good guy with a heart for serving his community. Get out there and vote for him,” Vance tweeted.