At least four Nigerian-Americans have won elections in Tuesday’s United States midterms, taking offices in Maryland, Texas, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. All four ran as Democrats, on a night when the party won control of both chambers of Congress.
The winners are Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem, according to Vanguard, Legit.ng and Nigeria Info. Channels Television and TheCable also reported the four victories.
Will Jawando: Montgomery County Executive, Maryland
Will Jawando won the race for Montgomery County Executive, defeating Republican Esther Wells by a wide margin. Citing NBC Washington, Vanguard reported that Jawando had about 237,000 votes (78.15%) to Wells’s 66,000 (21.85%) with 72% of expected votes counted.
Montgomery County, which borders Washington DC, is Maryland’s most populous county, and the county executive runs its government and budget. Jawando, the son of a Nigerian father and an American mother, previously served on the Montgomery County Council. He won a tight Democratic primary in June after his rival Andrew Friedson conceded, WTOP reported.
Junior Ezeonu: Texas House, District 101
In Texas, 27-year-old Junior Ezeonu won the seat for District 101 in the Texas House of Representatives, which covers part of Tarrant County. He was born in Onitsha, Anambra State, and moved to Texas with his family at the age of two.
Ezeonu had already caused an upset in March by defeating long-serving Democrat Chris Turner in the party primary, according to the Texas Tribune and KERA News. No Republican ran in the November election, so he faced no opponent. He was elected to the Grand Prairie City Council in 2021 and later became the city’s youngest mayor pro tempore. He will be one of the youngest members of the Texas Legislature.
Oye Owolewa: DC Council At-Large
In Washington DC, Oye Owolewa won an at-large seat on the Council of the District of Columbia, the city’s law-making body. According to Vanguard and Legit.ng, citing The 51st, he won about 69% of the vote against independent Elissa Silverman’s 21%.
Owolewa, a pharmacist and the son of Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun states, previously served as DC’s elected shadow representative, an unpaid post that campaigns for DC statehood but has no vote in Congress. His 2020 election to that post was widely celebrated in Nigeria, including by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
Carol Kazeem: Pennsylvania House, District 159
In Pennsylvania, State Representative Carol Kazeem was re-elected to the state House for District 159, which covers part of Delaware County near Philadelphia. Nigeria Info and Legit.ng reported that she defeated Republican Michael Bannon, citing MultiState election data.
Other races to watch
Nigeria Info also listed Georgia state Representatives Gabe Okoye, who was returned unopposed in District 102, and Segun Adeyina in District 110. However, Vanguard and Legit.ng reported that Adeyina’s race against Republican Charles Lollar had not been officially called on Wednesday, with counting still under way. We will update this story when results are confirmed.
What it means for Nigerians in the diaspora
The results continue a steady rise of Nigerian-Americans in US politics, particularly at state and local level, where decisions on schools, policing, housing and health care directly shape immigrant communities. Nigerians are among the most educated immigrant groups in the United States, and community leaders have long urged them to move from professional success into public service.
Winning offices such as Montgomery County Executive, a post that controls one of the largest local budgets in the Washington region, and a seat on the DC Council gives Nigerian-Americans a stronger voice close to the federal capital. For young Nigerians abroad, Ezeonu’s win at 27 is likely to be seen as an example of what is possible.
What happens next
The results remain unofficial until certified by election authorities in each state. The new officeholders are expected to be sworn in from December and January, depending on local rules.
Sources: Vanguard, Legit.ng, Nigeria Info, Channels Television, TheCable, NBC Washington, The 51st, WTOP, The Texas Tribune, KERA News.
