WASHINGTON: Four Nigerian-Americans have won elective positions in the November 3, 2026, United States midterm elections, securing victories in Maryland, Texas, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania.
The winners are Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem, while the result of another Nigerian-American candidate, Segun Adeyina, remained undecided in Georgia as vote counting continued on Wednesday.
Their victories span county administration, state legislatures and the District of Columbia Council, reflecting the participation of Nigerians and people of Nigerian descent in American politics.
In Maryland, Democratic candidate Will Jawando won the race for Montgomery County executive, defeating Republican challenger Esther Wells.
Results published by NBC Washington showed Jawando receiving 237,383 votes, representing 78.15 per cent, against Wells’s 66,383 votes, or 21.85 per cent. At the time of reporting, 72 per cent of the expected votes had been counted.
Jawando previously served on the Montgomery County Council. He is the son of a Nigerian father and an American mother, and his Nigerian background and political career have featured in reports by The Baltimore Banner and The Washington Post.
His election places him at the head of the administration of one of Maryland’s most populous counties.
In Texas, 27-year-old Junior Ezeonu secured a seat in the state’s House of Representatives for District 101.
Ezeonu had defeated incumbent Chris Turner in the Democratic primary. He subsequently emerged as the only candidate on the ballot for the November general election after no Republican entered the race.
According to his campaign biography, Ezeonu was born in Onitsha, Anambra State, and moved to Texas with his family when he was two years old.
He began his political career at the local government level, winning election to the Grand Prairie City Council in 2021. He later became the city’s youngest mayor pro tempore.
His election to the Texas legislature marks a further step in his public service career.
In Washington, DC, Democratic candidate Oye Owolewa won an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council.
Local publication the 51st reported that Owolewa secured 69 per cent of the vote, compared with 21 per cent recorded by independent candidate Elissa Silverman.
Owolewa, a pharmacist, is the son of Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun states. He previously served as the district’s elected shadow representative.
The shadow representative position allows its holder to advocate for Washington, DC, statehood and greater representation for the District’s residents, although it does not carry voting rights in the US Congress.
In Pennsylvania, Democratic candidate Carol Kazeem retained her seat in the state’s House of Representatives, continuing to represent District 159.
Her re-election makes her the fourth Nigerian American identified in the report to have secured victory in the midterm elections.
Meanwhile, the outcome of Segun Adeyina’s contest in Georgia had yet to be determined as of Wednesday, November 4.
Election officials were still counting votes, leaving his position uncertain at the time of reporting.
If confirmed, his result would determine whether the number of Nigerian-Americans elected in the contests covered by the report rises beyond four.
The victories have drawn attention to the growing presence of Nigerians and Americans of Nigerian descent in political and public service roles across the United States.
The candidates have secured positions at different levels of government, from county administration and state lawmaking to representation on the District of Columbia Council.
Their backgrounds also reflect the diversity of the Nigerian diaspora, with some born in Nigeria before relocating to the United States and others born into Nigerian-American families.
With Adeyina’s result still pending, attention remains on Georgia as. the final votes are counted
