Four Nigerian-Americans have won elective positions in the United States mid-term elections.
Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem, secured positions in local government and state legislatures across Maryland, Texas, Washington DC and Pennsylvania, according to Wednesday’s results.
All candidates were Democrats as the party flipped control of both the house and senate.
JAWANDO
Jawando won the race for Montgomery county executive in Maryland, defeating Republican candidate Esther Wells.
The 43-year-old an at-large council member who suffered a heart attack in early September, had bested council colleagues Andrew Friedson and Evan Glass in the competitive June primary, running on a campaign to boost education funding and affordable housing.
Tuesday’s turnout sealed Jawando’s win.
He was born in Montgomery county to Olayinka Jawando, a Nigerian immigrant, and an American mother.
EZEONU
Ezeonu, 27, defeated Christ Turner, 54, to secure a seat in the state’s house of representatives for District 101, Texas.
He had defeated Turner in the Democratic primary.
Ezeonu was born in Onitsha and moved to Texas at the age of two. He was elected to the Grand Prairie city council in 2021 and later became the city’s youngest mayor pro tempore.
Ezeonu was the only candidate on the November general election ballot after no Republican opponent entered the race.
OWOLEWA
Owolewa won an at-large seat on the district of Columbia council in Washington, secured 69 percent of the vote to best independent candidate Elissa Silverman’s 21 percent.
He was previously shadow representative in January 2021.
Owolewa has based his political identity on his Nigerian roots.
Born to Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun, the pharmacist said he was often bullied in school for his name.
KAZEEM
Kazeem defeated Michael Bannon, Republican candidate, to retain her seat in the Pennsylvania house of representatives for District 159.
She first won the mid-term elections in 2022 and was among eight Nigerian-Americans elected at the time.
Kazeem was born in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, Segun Adeyina, a Nigerian-born Democrat, is seeking re-election to the Georgia house of representatives.
Early results showed Adeyina leading with 1,353 votes against the 689 held by Charles Lollar, Republican candidate. Final votes are yet to be tallied.
