Four Nigerian-Americans win US midterm elections
By Trek Africa Newspaper
Four Nigerian-Americans have won elective seats in the November 3 midterm elections in the United States, while the result of another candidate, Segun Adeyina, remained undecided in Georgia as vote counting continued.
Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem are among the Nigerian-Americans who secured elective offices in local government and state legislatures across four US jurisdictions.
Jawando, who contested on the Democratic Party platform in Maryland, defeated Republican Esther Wells in the Montgomery County executive race.
NBC Washington reported on Wednesday that Jawando received 237,383 votes, accounting for 78.15 per cent, while Wells garnered 66,383 votes, or 21.85 per cent, with 72 per cent of expected ballots counted.
The son of a Nigerian father and an American mother, Jawando previously served on the Montgomery County Council. His Nigerian roots and political career have attracted coverage from The Baltimore Banner and The Washington Post.
In Texas, Ezeonu, 27, won the District 101 seat in the state House of Representatives after defeating incumbent Chris Turner in the Democratic primary. He was unopposed in the November general election, as no Republican candidate entered the race.
Ezeonu was elected to the Grand Prairie City Council in 2021 and later became its youngest mayor pro tempore.
In Washington, DC, Democratic candidate Owolewa won an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council.
Local publication The 51st reported that Owolewa secured 69 per cent of the vote, while independent candidate Elissa Silverman polled 21 per cent.
Owolewa, a pharmacist whose parents are Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun states, previously served as the District’s elected shadow representative.
The role allows its holder to advocate for Washington, DC, statehood but does not grant voting rights in the US Congress.
Meanwhile, Kazeem, also a Democrat, retained her seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 159.
The outcome of Adeyina’s race in Georgia remained undecided as of Wednesday, with votes still being counted.
