Four Nigerian-Americans have won elective positions in the November 3, 2026, United States midterm elections, securing victories in local government and state legislatures across the country.
The winners are Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem, who contested on the platform of the Democratic Party.
Another Nigerian-born politician, Segun Adeyina, was leading in his re-election bid for the Georgia House of Representatives as vote counting continued.
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In Maryland, Jawando defeated Republican candidate Esther Wells to win the race for Montgomery County executive.
The 43-year-old politician previously served as an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council. He is the son of a Nigerian father, Olayinka Jawando, and an American mother.
In Texas, 27-year-old Ezeonu secured a seat in the state's House of Representatives for District 101.
Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, Ezeonu moved to Texas at the age of two. He previously served on the Grand Prairie City Council after winning election in 2021 and later became the city's youngest mayor pro tempore.
He emerged as the only candidate on the November general election ballot after no Republican challenger entered the race.
Meanwhile, Owolewa won an at-large seat on the Council of the District of Columbia in Washington, DC, securing 69 per cent of the votes against independent candidate Elissa Silverman, who received 21 per cent.
Owolewa, a pharmacist and son of Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun states, previously served as the District's elected shadow representative. The position allows its holder to advocate for Washington DC's statehood but does not carry voting rights in the US Congress.
In Pennsylvania, Kazeem retained her seat in the state's House of Representatives, representing District 159, after defeating Republican candidate Michael Bannon.
She first won election to the legislature in 2022 and was among eight Nigerian-Americans elected to legislative positions during that year's US midterm elections.
Another Nigerian-born politician, Adeyina, was seeking re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives for District 110.
Preliminary results showed the Democratic incumbent leading Republican challenger Charles Lollar with 1,353 votes against 689.
However, only about eight per cent of the estimated votes had been counted at the time of reporting, leaving the outcome uncertain.
Adeyina was first elected to the Georgia House in 2022 and represents parts of Gwinnett County.
The US midterm elections are held halfway through a president's four-year term. The November 3, 2026, elections determined the composition of the House of Representatives, with all 435 seats contested, alongside 35 seats in the 100-member Senate.
The victories highlight the growing participation of Nigerians and Nigerian-Americans in political leadership and public service in the United States.
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