JD Vance’s half-brother suspected of voter fraud — the very thing the GOP rages against
JD Vance’s half-brother Cory Bowman, the Republican candidate for mayor of Cincinnati, is facing questions over where he actually lives and whether he may have committed voter fraud — a hot-button issue for GOP candidates across the U.S. — in his own election.
Bowman has pledged to “flip the 'Nati” to the GOP in his face-off against incumbent Democratic Mayor Aftab Pureval.
But an Ohio-based newsletter, The Rooster, reported that Bowman may have committed voter fraud on Oct. 7 when he cast an early ballot at the Hamilton County Board of Elections — by voting from somewhere other than his actual home address.
Bowman moved to Cincinnati in 2020. According to voting records, he had not voted in a city election before this year.
The Cincinnati Enquirer has reported that Bowman lives in the College Hill neighborhood.
As of Oct. 29, according to the office of the Ohio Secretary of State, Bowman and his wife, Jordan, were registered to vote at an address on Oakwood Avenue — in College Hill. Hamilton County auditor records show Bowman still owns that property.
His mailing address, however, is listed as an apartment on West 4th Street in downtown. It suggests he is not a permanent resident of the address used for his vote registration.
Muddying the picture, Bowman has used social media to say that he moved to the West End neighborhood “right after the primary” in May, also noting that his family “moved back downtown.”
The West End neighborhood is distinctly separate from West 4th Street, which is blocks away in the downtown area.
Though it appears Bowman voted early, it’s unclear if he voted lawfully because he appears to not have lived at the address that he used to vote — the College Hill property, which a Zillow listing shows to have been up for sale multiple times over the last year.
“It’s possible that Bowman lied about moving to the West End despite making several on-the-record claims otherwise,” The Rooster reported.
“But let’s take Bowman at face value. While both addresses reside within city limits, Bowman’s old address belongs to a different county judicial district, which means he likely cast a fraudulent vote in that particular race if he didn’t vote provisionally on Oct. 7.”
Ohio Republicans have raised major concerns over “election security,” and repeatedly have said that using out-of-date addresses is considered voter fraud. The state has made multiple changes to its voter registration laws this year.
According to the Ohio Secretary of State's website: “Under Ohio law, your residence is (1) the location that you consider to be a permanent, not a temporary, residence and (2) the place where your habitation is fixed and where, whenever you are absent, you intend to return. If you do not have a fixed place of habitation, but you are a consistent or regular inhabitant of a shelter or other location where you intend to return, you may use that location as your residence for the purposes of registering to vote.”
Raw Story reached out to Bowman for comment about where he actually lives and whether he voted provisionally. He had not responded as of Friday morning.
Statements on social media do not clear up the matter.
In February, Bowman wrote on X:
“Many have recommended collecting signatures in other areas/districts. We have (and continue to add) boots on the ground in many districts collecting signatures. For now, the West End has been our ground zero for all meetings/signatures/interviews. This is our home and a vital community in this upcoming race.”
In July, Bowman described why his family wanted to move downtown, posting:
“In recent months, since the primary election, my family and I decided to move everything back downtown, where we can hear every siren and gunshot. We’re not returning back to the outskirts in a week. We’re all in on Cincinnati because we believe it’s the greatest city on earth, and we care deeply about its people. This isn’t about red or blue politics. We’re at a critical moment where real change is possible if the right people stand up and make their voices heard.
“I, along with many other influential voices, have NO CONFIDENCE in our current leadership. This must be addressed sooner rather than later. Lives are at stake. #FlipTheNati.
Bowman is a pastor at The River Church Cincinnati and co-owns Kings Arms Coffee. On social media, he has described why he decided to run for office:
“After returning home in January following the inauguration of my half-brother, Vice President JD Vance, I felt compelled to make a difference in my hometown. City government must prioritize the needs of its people over political agendas or personal ambitions.
“Cincinnati is currently being mismanaged, resulting in deteriorating infrastructure, unsafe streets, and misallocated funds diverted to ineffective programs, policies, and organizations rather than initiatives that create meaningful impact. My goal is to ‘Flip The Nati’ to common sense, restoring Cincinnati to a city with clean, safe, and prosperous streets.”
According to The Enquirer, court records show he has been late in paying sales tax related to his business.
In May, on primary day, Vance posted on X, encouraging people to vote for his half-brother.
“Hey Cincinnati!” the vice president wrote. “My brother Cory Bowman is running for mayor and is on the ballot today for the primary. He’s a good guy with a heart for serving his community. Get out there and vote for him!”
Since then, the vice president hasn’t commented much about his brother’s campaign.
Concerning the voter fraud allegation, Raw Story reached out to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.
Press Secretary Benjamin Kindel said: "Our public integrity unit has not received a complaint regarding this, and we are not aware of any complaints made to the county board of elections. If anyone has a complaint, it can be made here or to the county board of elections.”
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