US midterm elections 2026: List of Nigerian-American candidates to watch

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  • Five Nigerian-American candidates secured spots on the 2026 US midterm ballot across races in Maryland, Washington DC, Georgia, and Texas
  • The candidates are contesting seats ranging from local government to state legislature, showing the growing political reach of Nigerian-Americans in the US
  • At least two of the five candidates won Democratic primaries and will face Republican opponents in the general election

Five Nigerian-American politicians have secured spots in the 2026 US midterm elections, with races spread across Maryland, Washington, D.C., Georgia, and Texas covering local government, city council, and state legislature seats.

The midterm election is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, November 3, and it is mostly between the Democrats and Republicans, the party of President Donald Trump.

All Nigerian-American politicians contesting in US midterm election in 2026 Photo Credit: @realDonaldTrumpSource: Twitter

Will "Yemi" Jawando

Will "Yemi" Jawando, whose father is a Nigerian immigrant, won the Democratic primary for Montgomery County Executive in Maryland. The race puts him in contention for one of the state's most prominent local government positions and has drawn considerable attention ahead of the general election.

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Oye Owolewa

In Washington DC, pharmacist and Nigerian-American politician Oye Owolewa is seeking another term on the DC Council for an At-Large seat. Owolewa is the Democratic candidate in the November 3 election and has prior experience serving on the council.

Segun Adeyina

Nigerian-born Segun Adeyina is running for re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives as the Democratic candidate. He will face Republican Charles Lollar when the general election comes around.

Junior Ezeonu

In Texas, Junior Ezeonu is on the ballot as the Democratic candidate for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. He is one of the newer names among Nigerian-American contenders in the 2026 cycle.

Carol Kazeem

Carol Kazeem, a Nigerian-American state representative, also won her Democratic primary and is defending her seat in the general election. She will go up against Republican Mike Bannon Jr.

Taken together, the five candidates represent a broad spread of Nigerian-American political participation in the 2026 US midterm elections, with races touching multiple levels of government across four different states and territories.

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President Donald Trump watches out for the 2026 US midterm elections Photo Credit: @readDonaldTrumpSource: Getty Images

US admits misleading Nigeria, other African countries

Legit.ng earlier reported that the US State Department admitted a map shown at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro misidentified every African country it highlighted.

The map, which carried an AI watermark linked to OpenAI tools, placed Nigeria, Mozambique and Cote d'Ivoire in entirely wrong locations on the continent.

A former State Department official linked the error to mass staff cuts under President Donald Trump's administration.