2021 Cincinnati mayoral election

2021 Cincinnati mayoral election

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Candidate Aftab Pureval David Mann Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Alliance Democratic Democratic Popular vote 34,541 17,919 Percentage 65.84% 34.16%

Precinct results: Pureval:      50-60%     60-70%     70-80%     80-90%     >90% Mann:      50-60%     >60%

Mayor before election John Cranley Democratic Elected mayor Aftab Pureval Democratic

The 2021 Cincinnati mayoral election took place on November 2, 2021, to elect the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. The election was officially nonpartisan, with the top two candidates from the primary election on May 4, 2021, advancing to the general election, regardless of party. Incumbent Democratic mayor John Cranley, first elected in 2013, was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term. Democratic Hamilton County clerk of court Aftab Pureval won the election over fellow Democrat and former congressman David S. Mann. ^[1]

Primary election

Candidates

Declared

• Gavi Begtrup (D) – Small business owner, former policy advisor for U.S. Representative from Arizona Gabby Giffords ^{[2] [3]}
• David Mann (D) – City councillor (1974–1992, 2013–present), former Mayor of Cincinnati (1980–1982, 1991), former U.S. Representative from Ohio's 1st congressional district (1993–1995) ^[4]
• Herman Najoli (I) – Adjunct professor at Indiana Wesleyan University ^[5]
• Raffel Prophett (D) – Retired firefighter ^[5]
• Aftab Pureval (D) – Hamilton County Clerk of Courts (2017–present), nominee for Ohio's 1st congressional district in 2018 ^[6]
• Cecil Thomas (D) – State senator for the 9th district (2015–2023), former city councillor (2005–2013) ^[7]

Disqualified

• Adam Koehler (I), tech entrepreneur ^[8]
• Kelli Prather (D), community activist and perennial candidate ^[5]
• Wendell Young (D), city councillor ^[9]

Withdrawn

• P.G. Sittenfeld (D), city councillor and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2016 ^[10]

Declined

• Mark Mallory (D), director of community development at FC Cincinnati and former Mayor of Cincinnati ^{[11] [12]} (Endorsed Aftab Pureval) ^[13]
• David Pepper (D), former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, former Hamilton County commissioner, and nominee for Attorney General of Ohio in 2014 ^[12]
• Chris Seelbach (D), city councillor ^[14]
• Christopher Smitherman (I), Vice Mayor and city councillor ^[15] (Endorsed David Mann) ^[16]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Gavi Begtrup	David Mann	Herman Najoli	Raffel Prophett	Aftab Pureval	Cecil Thomas	Undecided
Strategic Insights Research [17]	April 9–12, 2021	237 (LV)	± 5.3%	7%	10%	15%	3%	24%	9%	32%

Endorsements

Gavi Begtrup (D)

• Gabby Giffords, founder of Giffords and former U.S. Representative from Arizona's 8th congressional district (2007–2012) ^[13]

David Mann (D)

• Kevin Flynn, former city councilor (Independent) ^[18]
• Steve Goodin, city councilor (Republican) ^[18]
• Liz Keating, city councilor (Republican) ^[18]
• Charlie Luken, former Mayor of Cincinnati ^[13]
• Christopher Smitherman, Vice Mayor and city councillor (Independent) ^[16]
• Jerry Springer, former Mayor of Cincinnati and host of The Jerry Springer Show ^[13]
• Betsy Sundermann, city councilor (Republican) ^[18]

Aftab Pureval (D)

• Mark Mallory, director of community development at FC Cincinnati and former Mayor of Cincinnati ^[13]
• Charmaine McGuffey, Hamilton County Sheriff ^[13]
• David Pepper, former Chair of Ohio Democratic Party and former member of Hamilton County Commission ^[19]
• Jill Schiller, Hamilton County Treasurer-elect ^[20]

Results

2021 Cincinnati mayoral primary election results ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Aftab Pureval	13,302	39.2
	Nonpartisan	David Mann	9,830	29.0
	Nonpartisan	Cecil Thomas	5,589	16.5
	Nonpartisan	Gavi Begtrup	3,229	9.5
	Nonpartisan	Raffel Prophett	1,196	3.5
	Nonpartisan	Herman Najoli	780	2.3
Total ballots			33,926	100

General election

Candidates

• David Mann, city councillor (Democratic Party) ^[21]
• Aftab Pureval, Hamilton County Clerk of Courts (Democratic Party) ^[21]

Endorsements

David Mann (D)

Individuals

• Kevin Flynn, former city councilor (Independent) ^[18]
• Steve Goodin, city councilor (Republican) ^[18]
• Liz Keating, city councilor (Republican) ^[18]
• Charlie Luken, former Mayor of Cincinnati ^[13]
• Christopher Smitherman, Vice Mayor and city councillor (Independent) ^[16]
• Jerry Springer, former Mayor of Cincinnati and host of The Jerry Springer Show ^[13]
• Betsy Sundermann, city councilor (Republican) ^[18]

Aftab Pureval (D)

Individuals

• Mark Mallory, director of community development at FC Cincinnati and former Mayor of Cincinnati ^[13]
• Charmaine McGuffey, Hamilton County Sheriff ^[13]
• Jill Schiller, Hamilton County Treasurer ^[20]
• Raffel Prophett, Retired firefighter, 2021 candidate for Mayor of Cincinnati ^[22]
• David Pepper, former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, former Hamilton County commissioner, and former Cincinnati city councillor ^[23]
• Mike Moroski, Cincinnati school board member ^[24]
• Cecil Thomas, State senator for the 9th district (2015–present), former city councillor (2005–2013), 2021 candidate for Mayor of Cincinnati ^[25]
• Sherrod Brown, U.S. Senator (D-OH) ^[26]

Labor Unions

• Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council ^[27]
• Cincinnati Federation of Teachers ^[28]
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 212 ^[29]
• Laborers Local 265 ^[30]
• Amalgamated Transit Union Local 627 ^[31]
• United Food and Commercial Workers Local 75 ^[31]
• Cincinnati Building Trades Union ^[32]

Organizations

• Our Revolution ^[33]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of June 15, 2021
Candidate	Total raised	Cash on hand
David Mann	$172,330	$22,483
Aftab Pureval	$593,275	$73,277
[34]

Debates

2021 Cincinnati mayoral election debates
No.	Date & Time	Host(s)	Moderator(s)	Link	Participants
Key:  P  Participant   N  Non-invitee   I  Invitee					Mann	Pureval
1 [35]	September 21, 2021 7:00 p.m. EDT	Cincinnati.com Xavier University WVXU	Kevin Aldridge		I	I

Results

2021 Cincinnati mayoral general election results ^[36]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Aftab Pureval	34,541	65.8
	Nonpartisan	David Mann	17,919	34.2
Total ballots			52,460	100
	Democratic hold

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear

References

1. Coolidge, Sharon (November 2, 2021). "Mann concedes; Cincinnati's next mayor is Aftab Pureval". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
2. "Gavi for Cincy". Gavi for Cincy. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
3. Coolidge, Sharon. "Meet Gavi Begtrup: A scientist and start-up founder running for Cincinnati mayor". The Enquirer. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
4. Merritt, Jennifer (May 26, 2020). "David Mann Running For Cincinnati Mayor". Wvxu. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
5. Goffinet, Jared. "Race for Cincinnati's next mayor down to 6". www.fox19.com. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
6. "Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval announces Cincinnati mayoral run". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
7. Wilkinson, Howard (December 31, 2020). "What To Watch In Ohio Politics In 2021, From Cincinnati On Up". www.wvxu.org. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
8. Goffinet, Jared (February 23, 2021). "Koehler doesn't meet signature requirement needed for 2021 mayoral race, BOE says". www.fox19.com. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
9. "Article". Cincinnati.com. February 22, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.(subscription required)
10. Staff, WLWT Digital (February 18, 2021). "P.G. Sittenfeld announces he will no longer run for mayor amid federal corruption case". WLWT. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
11. Coolidge, Sharon (January 26, 2021). "Mark Mallory, David Pepper won't run for Cincinnati mayor". Cincinnati.com . Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
12. Planalp, Brian (January 26, 2021). "2 political heavyweights say they won't run for mayor of Cincinnati". www.fox19.com.
13. Coolidge, Sharon. "Former mayors weigh in on possible new mayors: Mark Mallory for Aftab Pureval; Charlie Luken for David Mann". The Enquirer. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
14. Staff, WLWT Digital (February 17, 2021). "Chris Seelbach will not run for mayor of Cincinnati". WLWT. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
15. Staff, WLWT Digital (February 18, 2021). "Chris Smitherman will not enter Cincinnati's 2021 mayoral race". WLWT. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
16. Coolidge, Sharon. "Former mayors weigh in on possible new mayors: Mark Mallory for Aftab Pureval; Charlie Luken for David Mann". The Enquirer. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
17. Strategic Insights Research
18. Wilkinson, Howard (April 26, 2021). "Analysis: Can Democrat David Mann Succeed In Mayoral Primary By Wooing GOP Voters?". Wvxu. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
19. Dutt, Ela. "Aftab Pureval, running for Cincinnati mayor, gets major endorsement" . Retrieved June 24, 2021.
20. Jill Schiller [@jillschill] (March 3, 2021). "I'm proud to support my friend @AftabPureval as he works to become our next mayor. He'll work hard for all of us!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
21. "Election Night Reporting | Primary / Special Election | May 4, 2021 | FOR MAYOR (CITY OF CINCINNATI)". Board of Elections Hamilton County, Ohio. May 18, 2021. Archived from the original on December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
22. Pureval, Aftab. "Raffel Prophett, a former candidate for Mayor, has endorsed my campaign!". Twitter.com. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
23. "Aftab Pureval, running for Cincinnati mayor, gets major endorsement | News India Times".
24. Moroski, Mike. "Tweet". Twitter.com. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
25. Pureval, Aftab. "Tweet". twitter.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
26. Pureval, Aftab. "Tweet". Twitter.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
27. Pureval, Aftab. "Endorsement". Twitter.com. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
28. "@cincyteachers". Twitter.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
29. Pureval, Aftab. "Endorsement". Twitter.com. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
30. Pureval, Aftab. "Endorsement". Twitter.com.
31. Pureval, Aftab. "Tweet". Twitter.com. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
32. Pureval, Aftab. "Tweet". Twitter.com. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
33. "Endorsements".
34. Chris Wetterich (June 15, 2021). "Cincinnati mayoral money race: Who's ahead as campaign enters next phase?". Cincinnati Business Courier. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
35. "David Mann-Aftab Pureval debate moved to Sept. 21".
36. "Election Night Reporting | General Election | 11-02-2021 | CITY OF CINCINNATI For Mayor". Board of Elections Hamilton County, Ohio. November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.

External links

Official campaign websites

• Gavi Begtrup (D) for Mayor
• David S. Mann (D) for Mayor Archived January 29, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
• Herman Najoli (I) for Mayor Archived March 7, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
• Raffel Prophett (D) for Mayor
• Aftab Pureval (D) for Mayor
• Cecil Thomas (D) for Mayor