Bowers ran for mayor in 2020 against Democratic incumbent Sherman Lea, Sr. Though an independent, Bowers was endorsed by Roanoke Republican Party and appeared at a pro-police event that was also attended by Republican representative Ben Cline and Senate nominee Daniel Gade. Bowers criticized Lea and the city council for being insufficiently supportive of the police and fire department as well as of Bower personally in reference to a speaker at a city council meeting that called Bower a white supremacist and received no pushback from council members. Bowers also called the city council and mayor unelected in reference to the fact that elections had been delayed six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bowers lost the election by six percentage points.