Four politicians of Nigerian descent have won elective offices in the United States midterm elections held on November 3, 2026, marking another milestone for the growing political influence of the Nigerian-American community.
The confirmed winners — Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem — all contested on the Democratic Party platform and secured positions spanning county executive, state legislative and District of Columbia Council seats in Maryland, Texas, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. A fifth Nigerian-American candidate, Segun Adeyina, was leading in his Georgia race as votes continued to be counted.
The victories come as Democrats made significant gains nationally, flipping control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in a setback for President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
Will Jawando Wins Montgomery County Executive Race
In Maryland, Democrat Will Jawando defeated Republican Esther Wells to become the next executive of Montgomery County. Early results reported by NBC Washington showed Jawando securing 237,383 votes (about 78 percent) against Wells’s 66,383 votes, with a substantial portion of the expected vote counted.
Jawando, 43, previously served as an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council after first winning election in 2018. He is the son of a Nigerian father, Olayinka Jawando, and an American mother, and was born in Montgomery County. His campaign focused on boosting education funding and expanding access to affordable housing. He will succeed term-limited incumbent Marc Elrich and is expected to assume office in December. Jawando had suffered a heart attack in early September but recovered to win a competitive Democratic primary before the general election.
Junior Ezeonu Takes Texas House Seat
In Texas, 27-year-old Junior Ezeonu won election to the state House of Representatives for District 101. Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, Ezeonu moved to Texas with his family at the age of two. He defeated incumbent Chris Turner in the Democratic primary earlier in the year and faced no Republican opponent in the general election, receiving 37,278 votes in the uncontested race.
Before his state legislative win, Ezeonu served on the Grand Prairie City Council after his election in 2021 and later became the city’s youngest mayor pro tempore. His victory represents a notable step for young Nigerian-American leadership in Texas politics.
Oye Owolewa Elected to D.C. Council
In Washington, D.C., pharmacist Oye Owolewa won an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council, securing approximately 69 percent of the vote against independent candidate Elissa Silverman, who received about 21 percent, according to local reporting.
Owolewa, the son of Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun states, previously served as the District’s elected shadow representative beginning in 2021. The shadow representative role advocates for D.C. statehood and fuller congressional representation, though it carries no voting rights in Congress. Owolewa has often spoken about his Nigerian heritage, including experiences of being bullied in school over his name.
Carol Kazeem Retains Pennsylvania House Seat
In Pennsylvania, Democrat Carol Kazeem successfully defended her seat in the state House of Representatives for District 159, defeating Republican Michael Bannon. Preliminary results showed Kazeem receiving 12,801 votes to Bannon’s 4,109.
Kazeem, who was born in Pennsylvania, was among a group of Nigerian-Americans elected to legislative seats in the 2022 midterms. Her re-election continues Nigerian-American representation in the Pennsylvania legislature.
Broader Context and Ongoing Race
Meanwhile, Nigerian-born Democrat Segun Adeyina was leading Republican Charles Lollar in the race for Georgia House District 110. Early tallies showed Adeyina ahead, though results had not been fully certified at the time of initial reporting. Adeyina, first elected in 2022, serves as executive director of the Nigerian American Public Advisory Committee, which focuses on voter education and registration among immigrant communities.
The successes of these candidates highlight the increasing civic engagement and political organization of Nigerian-Americans and the broader African immigrant diaspora in the United States. Their wins at the local and state levels position them to influence policies on education, housing, healthcare and economic development in their respective jurisdictions.
As final certifications proceed in remaining races, the 2026 midterms have once again demonstrated the expanding footprint of Nigerian-Americans in American public life.
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