4 Nigerian-Americans Win US Midterm Elections

Four politicians of Nigerian descent have secured electoral victories in the November 3, United States midterm elections, winning positions in local government and state legislatures across Maryland, Texas, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania.

The winners are Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem, who contested on the platform of the Democratic Party.

Their victories came amid a strong performance by Democrats, who gained control of both chambers of the US Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate, in a major setback for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

The four victories span different levels of government, including county administration, state lawmaking and the District of Columbia Council, highlighting the growing participation of Nigerian-Americans in American politics.

In Maryland, Jawando defeated Republican candidate Esther Wells to emerge as the new executive of Montgomery County.

Results published by NBC Washington showed that Jawando secured 237,383 votes, representing 78.15 per cent, against Wells’s 66,383 votes, or 21.85 per cent, with 72 per cent of the expected votes counted at the time of reporting.

Before the election, Jawando served as an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council, where he was involved in local policy and governance.

His campaign focused on increasing education funding and expanding access to affordable housing.

Jawando was born in Montgomery County to Olayinka Jawando, a Nigerian immigrant, and an American mother.

In Texas, 27-year-old Junior Ezeonu won a seat in the state’s House of Representatives, representing District 101.

Ezeonu, who was born in Onitsha, Anambra State, moved to Texas with his family at the age of two.

He previously served on the Grand Prairie City Council after winning election in 2021 and later became the youngest mayor pro tempore in the city’s history.

He secured the Democratic Party’s nomination after defeating incumbent Chris Turner in the party’s primary election.

Ezeonu was the only candidate on the ballot in the November general election after no Republican opponent entered the race.

His victory will see him move from local government administration into the Texas state legislature, where he will participate in lawmaking and policy decisions affecting residents of the state.

In Washington, DC, Oye Owolewa secured an at-large seat on the Council of the District of Columbia.

According to results reported by local publication, The 51st, Owolewa secured 69 per cent of the votes to defeat independent candidate Elissa Silverman, who polled 21 per cent.

Owolewa, a pharmacist and the son of Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun states, previously served as the District’s elected shadow representative.

The position allows its holder to advocate for Washington, DC’s statehood but does not confer voting rights in the US Congress.

Owolewa has also maintained a strong connection with his Nigerian heritage, which has featured prominently in his political identity.

His election to the DC Council marks another step in his political career and gives him a direct role in the District’s legislative and local governance affairs.

Meanwhile, Carol Kazeem retained her seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 159.

Kazeem, a Democrat, defeated Republican challenger Michael Bannon to secure another term in the state legislature.

She first won election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives during the 2022 midterm elections and was among eight Nigerian-Americans who secured legislative positions in the United States at the time.

Unlike the other winners, Kazeem was born in Pennsylvania, although she is among politicians of Nigerian descent making their mark in American public service.

Her re-election will allow her to continue representing her constituents in the state’s legislative chamber.

Another Nigerian-born politician, Segun Adeyina, was seeking re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives for District 110.

Adeyina, a Democratic incumbent first elected in 2022, faced Republican challenger Charles Lollar.

Preliminary figures published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution showed Adeyina leading with 1,353 votes, representing 66 per cent, against Lollar’s 689 votes, or 34 per cent.

However, only eight per cent of the estimated votes had been counted at the time of reporting, leaving the outcome of the contest undecided.

Adeyina represents parts of Gwinnett County and is also the executive director of the Nigerian American Public Advisory Committee, an organisation involved in voter education and registration among immigrant communities.

The November 3, 2026, US midterm elections were held halfway through President Donald Trump’s four-year presidential term.

The elections determine the composition of the US Congress, with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats contested.

Voters also elected governors, state legislators and local government officials across the country.

The elections are widely regarded as a referendum on the sitting president’s administration and can significantly influence the direction of government policy during the remaining two years of the presidential term.