Who Is Aftab Pureval? Indian-Origin Cincinnati Mayor Wins 2nd Term, Defeats Vance's Half-Brother

Last Updated:November 05, 2025, 16:33 IST

Aftab Pureval, first Asian-American mayor of Cincinnati, won a second term with nearly 80% votes, defeating Cory Bowman, half-brother of US Vice President JD Vance.

Aftab Pureval has been elected as the mayor of Cincinnati for a second term. (File)

Indian-origin Democratic politician Aftab Pureval won a second term as Cincinnati mayor on Tuesday by defeating Republican challenger Cory Bowman, the half-brother of Vice President JD Vance.

Pureval garnered nearly 80% of the vote in both the May primary and the November general election, signalling strong public approval of his leadership. Although the Cincinnati mayoral race is officially nonpartisan, Pureval is known to be aligned with the Democratic Party, news agency AP reported.

The lawyer-turned politician is a second-generation immigrant with Indian roots who made history as the first Asian-American mayor of Cincinnati in 2022.

Who Is Aftab Pureval?

Pureval is an American attorney and politician who has served in the role since January 2022. He was elected in 2021 after winning nearly 66% of the vote.

Pureval was born on September 9, 1982, in Ohio to a Tibetan mother, who fled Communist Chinese occupation as a child and grew up in a Southern Indian refugee camp, and a Punjabi father, who migrated to the US.

According to his official site, Pureval’s parents chose his name with great significance. “Aftab" is derived from an old Persian word meaning “sunshine," symbolising hope in their new American life.

He studied at Ohio State University before earning a law degree from the University of Cincinnati. He also had a brief career as an actor, playing a minor role in the 2002 independent film Blue Car.

Pureval began his career as a lawyer for White & Case after earning his Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2008. He worked for several years on antitrust litigation before joining the United States Department of Justice as a special assistant US attorney. He had also served as legal counsel for Procter & Gamble before beginning his political career.

“He was raised in Southwest, Ohio, the son of first-generation Americans. He is making history as Cincinnati’s first Asian-American Mayor. He has made equitable economic growth a top priority of his administration, as well as a comprehensive reform and improvement of public safety, affordable housing, and environmental action," the Mayoral office website detailed.

Pureval began his political career in 2015, running for Hamilton County Clerk of Courts. He was first elected mayor in 2021 and later won the all-party municipal primary in May with more than 80% of the vote.

He is married to Whitney Whitis, an internal medicine doctor at Bethesda North Hospital. The couple has two sons, Bodhi and Rami.

His opponent, Bowman, never held public office but was inspired to run after his half-brother, JD Vance, was inaugurated. Bowman and Vance share a biological father, Donald Bowman.

(With inputs from agencies)

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