Four Nigerian-Americans Win in US Midterm Elections, Full List of Winners

Four Nigerian-Americans Win in US Midterm Elections, Full List of Winners

Four Nigerian-Americans have secured victories in the November 3, 2026, United States midterm elections, winning political positions across Maryland, Texas, Washington DC and Pennsylvania.

The winners are Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem, whose victories have further strengthened the visibility of Nigerians and people of Nigerian descent in American politics.

All four candidates contested under the Democratic Party, recording victories in local government and state legislative elections.

Another Nigerian-born politician, Segun Adeyina, was also seeking re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives, although his result was initially reported as pending while votes were being counted. Subsequent reports confirmed his victory, bringing the number of successful Nigerian-descended politicians identified in the reports to five.

Full List of Nigerian-Americans Who Won

1. Will Jawando – Maryland

Jawando won the election for Montgomery County Executive, defeating Republican candidate Esther Wells.

He previously served on the Montgomery County Council. He is the son of a Nigerian father, Olayinka Jawando, and an American mother.

He secured 78.15 per cent of the votes in results reported with 72 per cent of expected ballots counted.

2. Junior Ezeonu – Texas

At 27, Ezeonu won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 101.

Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, he relocated to the United States with his family at the age of two.

He previously served on the Grand Prairie City Council and became the city’s youngest mayor pro tempore. He faced no Republican challenger in the general election.

3. Oye Owolewa – Washington DC

Owolewa won an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council, securing approximately 69 per cent of the votes against independent candidate Elissa Silverman.

A pharmacist by profession, he is the son of Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun states.

He previously served as Washington DC’s shadow representative to the US Congress, advocating for statehood and greater political representation for the district.

4. Carol Kazeem – Pennsylvania

Kazeem retained her seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 159, defeating Republican challenger Michael Bannon.

She was first elected in 2022 and was among eight Nigerian-Americans who secured legislative positions during that year’s US midterm elections.

Other Nigerian-descended Winners

Subsequent reporting identified additional victories:

Segun Adeyina – Georgia: The Nigerian-born Democratic incumbent won re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives for District 110, defeating Republican Charles Lollar.

Gabe Okoye – Georgia: He retained his seat in the Georgia House of Representatives for District 102, having run unopposed. He was also born in Nigeria.

Significance of the Victories

The victories highlight the increasing participation of Nigerians and Nigerian-Americans in the American political system.

Beyond their individual achievements, their emergence into public office demonstrates the growing influence of immigrant communities in shaping political leadership, legislation and governance in the United States.

The November 3 midterm elections covered all 435 seats in the US House of Representatives, 35 Senate seats, as well as several governorships, state legislative positions and local government offices.

For Nigeria, the achievements provide another opportunity to celebrate citizens and people of Nigerian heritage making their mark internationally.