Four Nigerian-Americans have won elective offices in the United States midterm elections, securing positions in Maryland, Texas, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, while the result of another candidate, Segun Adeyina, remained undecided in Georgia.
The winners are Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem, who secured positions in county administration, state legislatures and local government.
In Maryland, Democrat Jawando won the race for Montgomery County executive, defeating Republican candidate Esther Wells.
Results published by NBC Washington on Wednesday showed Jawando leading with 237,383 votes, representing 78.15 per cent, against Wells’s 66,383 votes, or 21.85 per cent, with 72 per cent of expected votes counted.
Jawando, a former member of the Montgomery County Council, is the son of a Nigerian father and an American mother.
In Texas, 27-year-old Ezeonu won a seat in the state House of Representatives for District 101. He was the only candidate on the November general election ballot after defeating incumbent Chris Turner in the Democratic primary and facing no Republican challenger.
Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, Ezeonu moved to Texas at the age of two, according to his campaign biography. He was elected to the Grand Prairie City Council in 2021 and later became the city’s youngest mayor pro tempore.
In Washington, DC, Democrat Owolewa won an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council. The local publication The 51st reported that he secured 69 per cent of the vote, compared with 21 per cent for independent candidate Elissa Silverman.
Owolewa, a pharmacist whose parents are Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun states, previously served as the District’s elected shadow representative. The role involves advocating for statehood for Washington, DC, but does not carry voting rights in the US Congress.
Meanwhile, Kazeem retained her seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where she represents District 159.
The outcome of Adeyina’s race in Georgia had not been determined as of Wednesday, with vote counting still underway.
Four Nigerian-Americans Win Seats in US Midterm Elections
