CINCINNATI — Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval and Cincinnati City Councilman David Mann have survived Tuesday's Cincinnati mayoral primary, according to the Hamilton County Board of Election's unofficial results tabulated Tuesday night.
With all precincts reporting, Pureval led the pack of six candidates with 39.1% of the vote, and Mann followed next behind, with 29.1%.
The third in the race, Cecil Thomas, trailed most of the night by 10 points or more, finishing out at 16.4%
Here was the full breakdown of the results:
- Aftab Pureval - 39.1%
- David Mann - 29.1%
- Cecil Thomas - 16.4%
- Gavi Begtrup - 9.6%
- Raffel Prophett - 3.5%
- Herman J. Najoli - 2.3%
Both Pureval and Mann bring to their bids local government and campaign experience, although Mann has served longer and in more various offices.
Hamilton County voters elected Pureval as Clerk of Courts in 2016, two years before a failed bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot. He was re-elected as Clerk of Courts in 2020.
He ran heavily on a focus on equity in Cincinnati, specifically through Black homeownership and business ownership, as well as recovering from the pandemic.
"This campaign is about the future of Cincinnati, and our city's future is bright," Pureval said Tuesday night. "It's bold, it's diverse, and I think it's time for new leaders at City Hall to recover after COVID."
Mann is a veteran of public service, having served in the U.S. Navy before returning to local politics, both at the local level at City Hall and in Washington in the U.S. House of Representatives. If elected in November, it would be his third time in the mayor's office.
"There's a lot that's necessary to move this city forward, and I offer my experience, which is critically important, because the city is a huge enterprise," he said.
After receiving Tuesday's results, Mann elaborated, saying, "I've got some pretty hot ideas about how to change the city and make it better... increase the number of jobs, increase the wages jobs pay, make the city a place people want to come to."
WCPO spoke with all six candidates last month on issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery, accountability at City Hall, affordable housing, and equity and police reform.
