Four Nigerian-Americans have won elective positions in the United States mid-term elections.
They secured seats in local government and state legislatures in Maryland, Texas, Washington DC and Pennsylvania.
The winners – Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem, are members of the Democratic Party, which has secured the control of both the House and Senate, according to results released on Wednesday.
Will Jawando won the race for Montgomery County Executive in Maryland, defeating Republican candidate Esther Wells.
Results published by NBC Washington on Wednesday showed Jawando polling 237,383 votes, representing 78.15 per cent, against Wells’s 66,383 votes, or 21.85 per cent, with 72 per cent of the expected votes counted.
The 43-year-old, an at-large council member who suffered a heart attack in early September, had defeated fellow council members Andrew Friedson and Evan Glass in the competitive June primary.
His campaign focused on increasing education funding and expanding access to affordable housing.
Jawando was born in Montgomery County to Olayinka Jawando, a Nigerian immigrant, and an American mother.
27-year-old Junior Ezeonu defeated Republican candidate Christ Turner, 54, to secure a seat in the Texas House of Representatives for District 101.
Ezeonu had earlier defeated Turner in the Democratic primary and was the only candidate on the November general election ballot after no Republican opponent entered the race.
Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, Ezeonu moved to Texas at the age of two. He was elected to the Grand Prairie City Council in 2021 and subsequently became the city’s youngest mayor pro tempore.
Oye Owolewa won an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council in Washington DC, securing 69 per cent of the votes against independent candidate Elissa Silverman, who polled 21 per cent.
He previously served as a shadow representative, a position he assumed in January 2021.
Owolewa has built much of his political identity around his Nigerian heritage.
Born to Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun states, the pharmacist said he was frequently bullied at school because of his name.
Carol Kazeem defeated Republican candidate Michael Bannon to retain her seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for District 159.
She was first elected during the 2022 mid-term elections and was among eight Nigerian-Americans who secured elective positions at the time.
Kazeem was born in Pennsylvania.
In a related development, Nigerian-born Democrat Segun Adeyina is seeking re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives.
Early results showed Adeyina leading with 1,353 votes against Republican candidate Charles Lollar, who had secured 689 votes. However, the final results were yet to be announced.
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