Vice President JD Vance’s half-brother is now plotting to follow in his “role model” sibling’s political footsteps — revealing he’s running for mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cory Bowman, a local pastor, coffee shop owner and registered Republican, announced his mayoral candidacy this week, telling The Cincinnati Enquirer that attending his older sibling’s inauguration was part of his inspiration.
The 36-year-old, who lives in Cincinnati with his wife and their three young kids, announced in a social media post that he had already pulled petitions to run.
“Weeks ago, my flight touched down at CVG [airport], returning home from the most monumental inauguration in my generation. When I landed, I knew the city where my family and I live and love cannot fall behind in the critical years ahead,” Bowman said in a statement.
“Many have told me ‘Get ready. They will come after you.’ I’m not sure who ‘they’ are or if ‘they’ are seeing this, but my heart is simply this … To provide a choice to the people of Cincinnati. A choice to see years of prosperity, growth, and joy in our amazing downtown.”
He added: “A population should never be complacent with how things are. They should have the choice to decide their own future.”
Bowman, who shares the same father as the vice president, said he spoke to his older half-sibling in the “initial stages” about running for the city’s highest position.
“I don’t necessarily speak for my brother because he speaks pretty well for himself. And he’s doing well,” he told the local outlet, adding that Vance inspired his foray into politics.
“I will say that he’s an incredible role model of mine.”
Bowman, who runs The River Church in the West End with his wife, is the first Republican to throw his hat into Cincinnati’s mayoral ring since 2009.
His father, Donald Bowman, put Vance up for adoption when the now-veep was in kindergarten.
Vance described in his memoir — “Hillbilly Elegy” — how he reconnected with his father and half-siblings, including Bowman, when he was a teen.
The vice president hasn’t commented publicly on his half-sibling’s political bid.
