Nigerian-Americans recorded a major political breakthrough in the United States on Tuesday, November 3, winning key elections in Maryland, Texas, Washington DC and Pennsylvania, while a fifth candidate was leading in a closely watched race in Georgia.
The victories underline the growing influence of Nigerians in American politics, particularly at state and local levels where decisions on education, healthcare, housing, public safety and economic development are made.
The November 3 polls were midterm elections held halfway into President Donald Trump’s four-year term. All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives, 35 Senate seats, several governorships and thousands of state and local offices were contested.
JAWANDO WINS BIG IN MARYLAND
The biggest victory came in Maryland, where Democrat Will Jawando defeated Republican Esther Wells to become the next Executive of Montgomery County.
Jawando, son of a Nigerian father and an American mother, polled 195,872 votes, representing 78.66 per cent, against Wells’ 52,141 votes, or 20.94 per cent, according to unofficial results reported by Moderately MOCO.
A former at-large member of the Montgomery County Council first elected in 2018, Jawando will succeed outgoing Executive Marc Elrich, who is leaving office after two terms.
EZEONU, 27, WINS TEXAS STATE HOUSE SEAT
In Texas, 27-year-old Democrat Junior Ezeonu won the race for District 101 in the State House of Representatives.
Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, Ezeonu moved to Texas with his family at age two. He defeated incumbent Chris Turner in the Democratic primary in March 2026 and ran unopposed in the November general election after no Republican entered the race.
Results published by the Texas election tracker showed Ezeonu secured 37,278 votes.
Before his election to the state legislature, Ezeonu served on the Grand Prairie City Council, elected in 2021, and later became the city’s youngest mayor pro tempore.
OWOLEWA WINS DC COUNCIL SEAT
In Washington, DC, Democrat Oye Owolewa won an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council.
Owolewa, a pharmacist and son of Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun states, previously served as the district’s elected shadow representative — a position created to advocate for DC statehood and full representation in Congress.
Although shadow representatives have no voting rights in Congress, they play a key advocacy role in the campaign for greater political representation for the district.
KAZEEM RETAINS PENNSYLVANIA SEAT
In Pennsylvania, Democrat Carol Kazeem retained her seat representing District 159 in the State House of Representatives.
Kazeem defeated Republican challenger Mike Bannon with 12,801 votes against Bannon’s 4,109, according to preliminary results.
She was among eight Nigerian-Americans who won legislative seats during the 2022 US midterm elections.
ADEYINA LEADS IN GEORGIA
Meanwhile, Nigerian-born Democrat Segun Adeyina was leading Republican Charles Lollar in the race for Georgia House of Representatives District 110.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s election tracker, Adeyina had secured 1,353 votes, or 66 per cent, against Lollar’s 689 votes, or 34 per cent, with eight per cent of estimated votes counted at the time of the update.
Adeyina, who represents parts of Gwinnett County and was first elected to the Georgia State House in 2022, was later listed as the winner in subsequent tracking, although the race had not been officially called at the time of the first update.
He is the Executive Director of the Nigerian American Public Advisory Committee, an organisation involved in voter education and registration among immigrant communities.
The results mark another milestone for the Nigerian diaspora, whose growing voter turnout and candidacy are reshaping representation in American public life.
–Northern Nigeria Hub.
