Four Nigerian-Americans have secured victories in the United States midterm elections, winning positions in local government and state legislatures across Maryland, Texas, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania.
Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem emerged victorious in Tuesday’s polls, according to results released on Wednesday. All four contested under the Democratic Party, which also gained control of both chambers of Congress.
JAWANDO
Will Jawando won the Montgomery County executive race in Maryland, defeating Republican candidate Esther Wells.
The 43-year-old, who serves as an at-large county council member, had earlier survived a heart attack in September. He secured the Democratic nomination in a competitive June primary, defeating fellow council members Andrew Friedson and Evan Glass.
His campaign focused on increasing education funding and expanding access to affordable housing, while Tuesday’s election results confirmed his victory.
Jawando was born in Montgomery County to Olayinka Jawando, a Nigerian immigrant, and an American mother.
EZEONU
Junior Ezeonu, 27, won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives for District 101 after defeating Christ Turner, 54.
He had previously defeated Turner in the Democratic primary. However, Ezeonu was the only candidate on the November general election ballot after no Republican contender entered the race.
Born in Onitsha, Nigeria, Ezeonu relocated to Texas when he was two years old. He joined the Grand Prairie City Council in 2021 and subsequently became the youngest person to serve as the city’s mayor pro tempore.
OWOLEWA
Oye Owolewa secured an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council in Washington, DC, winning 69 per cent of the votes against independent candidate Elissa Silverman, who received 21 per cent.
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He previously served as a shadow representative from January 2021 and has consistently highlighted his Nigerian heritage as part of his political identity.
Owolewa was born to Nigerian parents from Kwara and Osun states. The pharmacist has also spoken about being bullied at school because of his name.
KAZEEM
Carol Kazeem retained her position in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives after defeating Republican candidate Michael Bannon in the race for District 159.
She first won election to the state legislature during the 2022 midterm polls, becoming one of eight Nigerian-Americans elected to public office at the time.
Kazeem was born in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, Nigerian-born Democrat Segun Adeyina is seeking another term in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Preliminary results showed Adeyina leading Republican challenger Charles Lollar with 1,353 votes against Lollar’s 689. However, the final results were yet to be announced.