Vice President Vance’s half brother, Cory Bowman, has collected petitions to run for the mayor of Cincinnati according to The Enquirer. Bowman said his bid was inspired by his sibling who was inaugurated at the Capitol last month.
“There’s nobody that cheered louder when he was getting sworn in than me, because he’s my brother,” Bowman told the outlet.
He said he did speak to Vance about the “initial stages” of running for mayor.
“I will say that he’s an incredible role model of mine,” Bowman saidin his interview with The Enquirer.
Eight other individuals have currently picked up petitions to run for mayor including the incumbent Mayor Aftab Pureval (D). In order for their candidacy to be approved, those who are interested in campaigning must submit 500 signatures by Feb. 20.
Bowman is the first Republican to run for the city’s mayorship in 16 years following Brad Wenstrup’s unsuccessful bid in 2009.
Local Democrats have already publicly contested the idea of a GOP mayor.
“It is a safe, well-run city where you can raise a family. We don’t need the kind of chaos that is coming out of the Trump presidency infiltrating City Hall,” Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Alex Linser told The Enquirer.
Bowman, the pastor of a nondenominational Christian church, said he’s ready to trek an uphill battle for the mayorship showcasing his alignment with conservative values.
