Ap Decision Notes: What To Expect In Ohio's Primary And Special Election

Cincinnati's mayor faces a primary challenge Tuesday from two first-time candidates, including the half brother of Vice President JD Vance . Meanwhile, voters across the state will decide the fate of a 10-year, 2.5 billion infrastructure spending ballot measure.

The notable contests top the list of races on the ballot in Ohio's off-year municipal primaries.

In Cincinnati, the state's third largest city, Mayor Aftab Pureval seeks a second term. Pureval, a Democrat, had been running unopposed for reelection in the Democratic stronghold until Republicans Cory Bowman and Brian Frank entered the race earlier in the year. Bowman, who shares a father with Vance, is an evangelical pastor and cafe owner. Frank is a procurement specialist. The mayor's office is a nonpartisan position, so all candidates compete on the same ballot in the primary, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the November general election.

Cincinnati is located in Hamilton County, which Democrat Kamala Harris carried in the 2024 presidential election with about 57 of the vote. Republican Donald Trump received 42 of the Hamilton vote but won Ohio with 55 of the statewide vote. The city's Democratic bent should benefit Pureval in a primary contest with no other Democrats on the ballot.

Pureval placed first in the 2021 primary with 39 of the vote in a six-person field. He won the general election with about 66 of the vote over fellow Democrat David Mann, a former mayor and U.S. representative.