WASHINGTON (AP) – Cincinnati’s mayor is seeking a second term in next week’s City Council election against a challenger with a prominent family connection.
On November 4, Democratic Mayor Aftab Pureval will face Republican Cory Bowman in this Democratic stronghold. Mr. Bowman is a pastor and cafe owner. Half-brother of Vice President J.D. Vance.
Pureval finished well ahead of Bowman. May 6th primary electionreceived approximately 83% of the votes. Bowman came in a distant second place with about 13% of the vote, enough to secure him a spot on the ballot. Because the Cincinnati Mayor’s Office is nonpartisan, all candidates compete on the same ballot in the primary, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the general election in November.
The election in Ohio’s third most populous city is unprecedented level of federal intervention In the name of fighting crime and illegal immigration, the Trump administration implemented them in America’s largest cities, over the objections of the cities’ Democratic leaders. Crime was a major issue in August’s mayoral election. after a scuffle Downtown was shared widely on social media.
pureval First elected in 2021 He received about 66% of the vote, beating fellow Democrat and former mayor and U.S. Representative David Mann.
Democrats have long held a lopsided advantage in Cincinnati elections. In the 2024 presidential election, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris led the city with about 75% of the vote, compared to Republican Donald Trump with about 22%.
Trump received the highest number of votes in only one of the city’s 26 wards. He was in charge of four of the city’s 190 districts, all located along the Ohio River on either end of the city. Mr. Bowman carried two of these districts, Saylor Park and California, in the May primary, but these were the only districts in which he outperformed Mr. Pureval.
Turnout tends to be relatively low in off-year elections in Ohio. The most recent exception was 2023. pair of Voting measures It motivated voters on both sides of the abortion debate to head to the polls.
The Associated Press does not make predictions and will only declare a winner if there is no scenario in which a successor candidate closes the gap. Even if a race is not called, The Associated Press will continue to report on newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. At that time, The Associated Press will clarify that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
In Ohio, recounts occur automatically when the vote share is less than 0.25% of the total votes cast in statewide elections and 0.5% in district elections. The Associated Press may declare a winner in a race subject to a recount if the lead is determined to be too large to change the result through a recount or legal challenge.
Let’s see what happens on November 4th.
When does voting close?
Voting ends at 7:30pm ET.
What does the ballot say?
The Associated Press will release the results and declare the winner of the Cincinnati mayoral race. Cincinnati and other local elections across the state will also be held on Nov. 4, but only the Cincinnati mayor’s race will be included in the AP’s vote tally.
Who can vote?
Registered voters in the City of Cincinnati are eligible to participate in the Mayoral General Election.
What will turnout and early voting look like?
As of the May 6 primary election, there were more than 221,000 registered voters in Cincinnati. Turnout in the primary was about 10% of registered voters. About 17% of the votes were cast before the primary election.
Voter turnout in the 2021 mayoral general election was approximately 24% of registered voters. A quarter of the votes were cast before Election Day.
As of Thursday, about 4,900 votes had been cast in Hamilton County by Election Day.
How long does it usually take to count votes?
In the May 6 primary, the Associated Press first reported the results of the mayor’s race at 7:53 p.m. ET, 23 minutes after polls closed. The last update of the night was at 10:24 p.m. ET, with nearly 99% of the total votes counted.
In the 2024 presidential election, the first results reported by The Associated Press in Hamilton County were available at 7:57 p.m. ET. Counting stopped for the night at 11:54 p.m. ET, with about 96% of the total votes counted.
Have you arrived yet?
As of November 4, there are 364 days until the 2026 midterm elections and 1,099 days until the 2028 general election.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the 2025 election. https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2025/.
