Since 2009, Cincinnati has experienced a dearth of variety in its mayoral elections – a scene dominated consistently by Democrats. In fact, the last Republican to throw his hat in the ring was Brad Wenstrup. A name now somewhat lost in the annals of the city’s history, Wenstrup was an ambitious candidate in 2009 who, unfortunately for him, was bested by Mark Mallory, the incumbent Democratic mayor.
Following his loss, Wenstrup chose a different path and became a member of Congress for Ohio’s 2nd District. Wenstrup served seven terms with distinction before he bowed out of his congressional duties last month. Since his departure from the mayoral race, Cincinnati’s political scene has been akin to a monochromatic painting, featuring only Democrats contesting in the mayoral elections.
Succession followed in quick succession, with John Cranley replacing Mallory, only to be succeeded by the current mayor, Aftab Pureval. Pureval’s election in 2021 marked the continuation of the Democratic reign, and now he’s preparing to face the electoral battlefield once again in 2025.
Until recently, it seemed as though Pureval would run uncontested for the seat, a walkover election that would surely see the mayor secure yet another term. However, a swift twist of events has unfolded. Two Republican candidates, seemingly rising from the ashes of Cincinnati’s forgotten political balance, have decided to run for mayor. A move that has certainly livened up what was destined to be a lackluster parade of the same old party.
But the challenge ahead for these two candidate Republicans is colossal. The city of Cincinnati leans heavily towards the Democratic side. A startling reflection of this fact was the 2024 election results – a clear landslide victory for the Democrats. With Trump securing a meager 22.7% of the vote within Cincinnati’s city limits, the Democratic contender, Kamala Harris, outscored him massively with 76.2% of the votes.
While the picture painted by these numbers looks grim for our two new Republican heroes, they remain resolved. There’s an air of curiosity around their determination. “People keep telling me, ‘Brace for impact. You’re sailing into a headwind,'” admitted one candidate. But in his opinion, a population should never remain stagnant and complacent. The people should have the power to sculpt their own future, he insists.
These new candidacies dawning at a time when Cincinnati residents have been methodically cropping Republicans out of city council seats. This trend isn’t limited to the city alone. County voters, too, have echoed the same sentiment, showing Republicans the door for county-wide positions year after year.
Suffice to say, the Republican representation in county positions has dwindled all the way down to only one – Eric Beck, who holds the position of county engineer. It’s interesting to note that Democrats haven’t even contested this particular office since 1992. A clear pattern emerges here that democrats seem content with their stronghold and opt to not contest positions they deem unimportant or secure.
Zooming out to a wider perspective, we find that Cincinnati has not seen a Republican mayor since the city charter was modified in 1999 to reinstate direct mayoral elections. The last Republican mayor that Cincinnati had was none other than Willis Gradison Jr., who had a brief mayoral stint back in 1971.
Post-Gradison’s era, the mayoral throne of Cincinnati has only been shared amongst Democrats and Charterites, which is a unique political entity specific to Cincinnati. It would seem as if the Republicans have been completely brushed aside in the city’s political discourse.
Despite their electoral prospects appearing bleak on the surface, our two Republican candidates seem to stare defiantly into the face of adversity. The odds might be towering, but they appear intent on fighting to achieve something historic – becoming the first directly elected Republican mayor in this modern era since Cincinnati’s city charter underwent amendment.
The mayoral election is a two-round process, the first stage of which will be held on May 6. It is a party-neutral primary designed to select the top two contenders who will then proceed to compete in the final face-off on November 4. The victorious candidate will then serve a four-year term that commences in January 2026.
The current race features three runners, which means only two will graduate to the next round in May, assuming no surprise entrants leap onto the stage. In many ways, this election promises to be an interesting one, or perhaps ‘unique’ would be a better term. After all, it’s been ages since Cincinnati saw a contest and not a coronation.