In the wake of the brutal assault that a mob recently inflicted on two victims in downtown Cincinnati, there has been a great deal of criticism directed at local officials, including Democratic Mayor Aftab Pureval, who was away on vacation at the time of the incident.
"The do-nothing, extreme liberal Mayor won't lift a finger to protect his streets and restore order, so it's time to bring in professionals who will," Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno wrote on X.
In November, Cincinnati voters will have a chance to change course and vote for Pureval's challenger, Republican Cory Bowman, who happens to be the half-brother of Vice President JD Vance.
He has said local police are handcuffed by the current city leadership, and people no longer see the sense in calling 911, which is "unacceptable."
Tom Zawistowski, president of the Ohio-based We the People Convention, says Republicans have yielded for too long.
"I do think there's a racial element to it; I've accused the Ohio Republican Party of racism because every time we in the grassroots have wanted them to get behind a candidate in a blue city, they won't do it," Zawistowski tells AFN. "They will never put any resources in. They've conceded these cities to the Democrats, and our question is why are you doing that?"
But he hopes the people of Cincinnati recognize they have the chance for a "tremendous improvement" in November.
"Everyone knows these cities would be way better off with Republican mayors and Republican city councils than they currently are," Zawistowski poses. "The question is, will you see the money come behind that candidate to give him a chance to compete?"
Bowman placed second in a nonpartisan primary race in May.
