Bowman is attempting to become the first Republican elected as mayor of the southwest Ohio city since the 1970s.
CINCINNATI, Ohio—It’s a Friday morning, and Kings Arms Coffee stirs with conversations among customers.
Cory Bowman stands behind the counter of the neighborhood gathering place in the west end of Cincinnati and grins when a patron asks him about a Spanish beverage called a cortado.
It consists of espresso mixed with an equal amount of warm milk, which reduces the acidity, Bowman explains.
“I wouldn’t have been able to tell you that five years ago. I was a guy who bought his coffee from a gas station until my wife urged me to up my coffee game, and here I am,” Bowman joked.
Coffee was an unfamiliar venture when Bowman opened Kings Arms in 2022.
The 36-year-old father of three entered another unfamiliar arena earlier this year. He is running for mayor of Cincinnati, a city that hasn’t elected a Republican to that post since the 1970s.
Bowman’s mayoral bid is drawing national attention. He is the younger brother of Vice President JD Vance.
On April 25, Bowman told The Epoch Times that he never envisioned a foray into local politics, until he attended President Donald Trump’s inauguration and saw his brother sworn in as vice president.
“When I flew back to Ohio after the inauguration, something clicked that running for mayor could be an avenue to impact lives,” Bowman said. “I have seen the inspiration and the impact that he is making on a national level, and that motivated me to do the same here.”
“I’m not focused on debating policy about Ukraine. I want to talk about fixing the potholes here. What is going on in Washington is not my stage. My focus is Cincinnati,” Bowman added, noting that he has a background in economics, statistics and administration, “so I can see certain areas where city officials can do better.”
Bowman and his wife, Jordan, live in Cincinnati’s College Hill neighborhood. They co-pastor The River Church in the city’s west end, not far from the coffee shop. The couple is expecting their fourth child in June.
Bowman was raised on a farm outside of Hamilton, around 25 miles north of Cincinnati.
