The young politicians with African roots making history in the US midterms

The young politicians with African roots making history in the US midterms

“JD [Vance], habibi (my love).”

That was an unexpected line to hear at a Democratic Party victory rally after the US midterm elections.

Abdul El-Sayed, 42, the son of Egyptian immigrant parents, jokingly addressed Vice-President JD Vance, who had campaigned against him but will now swear him into office in January as Michigan’s new Senator.

The Democrat, who was born in the US, spent much of his campaign pushing back against attacks from conservative media and President Donald Trump, who accused him of backing the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed denied the claims.

“My name is Abdul Rahman Mohammed El-Sayed,” he told the cheering crowd at his victory rally in an Egyptian Arabic accent. His Arabic Muslim name was a focus of many of his opponents. He is on course to become the first Muslim senator.

El-Sayed ran a campaign built around social media, using TikTok edits of him speaking directly to young voters, leaning into Gen Z humour and wearing friendship bracelets.

The former public health administrator’s platform focused on a progressive agenda that included Medicare for All, affordable housing and reducing corporate influence in politics. He has also been a prominent critic of US military aid to Israel.

But El-Sayed was not the only one. From a congresswoman born in Ethiopia and part of Gen Z to candidates with Nigerian heritage, several other politicians with African roots won in this year’s midterms.

The elections, which take place halfway through a president’s four-year term, determine who represents Americans in Congress, along with thousands of state and local offices.

Born in Addis Ababa, Melat Kiros’ family moved to Denver when she was a baby

At 29, Melat Kiros became the first Gen Z woman elected to the US Congress.

Born in Ethiopia, she came to the US as a baby and grew up in Denver. She had never held elected office before defeating a 15-term incumbent in Colorado’s 1st District in the Democratic primary, then winning by a landslide in Tuesday’s election.

Like El-Sayed, Kiros campaigned on issues that have become central to young progressive voters: the cost of living, universal childcare and Medicare for All.

Backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, she has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ending US military aid to Israel.

Her outspoken criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza has drawn controversy. Kiros has said her criticism is aimed at the Israeli state, not Jewish people.

In 2023, she was fired from a major New York law firm after refusing to remove an open letter to dozens of law firms that had urged law school deans to crack down on antisemitism on campuses as students took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Kiros condemned antisemitism, but warned the law firms, including the one she worked for, against conflating “such bigotry with the geo-political question of Israel’s legitimacy”.

She said she began thinking more seriously about politics in general after being fired.

Adrian Boafo’s parents moved from Ghana to the US

Adrian Boafo, meanwhile, a second-generation Ghanaian-American, will represent Maryland’s 5th Congressional District after succeeding veteran Congressman Steny Hoyer, who retired after a political career spanning more than four decades.

The 32-year-old was born in Virginia and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland. His parents came to the US from Ghana.

Boafo’s path to Congress started in local politics. He served on the Bowie City Council before becoming a Maryland state delegate in 2023. He also worked for Hoyer before eventually winning the race to replace him.

His campaign centred on the cost of living, childcare and protecting federal workers, a major issue in a district near Washington DC and home to thousands of government employees.

In his victory statement, Boafo said representing his constituents had “never felt more urgent”, citing federal job cuts, rising costs and the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Among those returning to Congress is Somali-born Ilhan Omar, 44, who won a fifth term despite an ongoing federal investigation.

Federal agents searched her Washington home in October as part of an investigation into her immigration paperwork. Omar has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.

First elected to Congress in 2018, Omar became the first Somali-American and one of the first Muslim women to serve in the chamber. She has also been a frequent target of President Trump, who has repeatedly criticised her and other Somali immigrants.

Trump has previously used derogatory language about some African countries, including Somalia. In October, his Yemeni-born adviser Amer Ghalib said the president would avoid using such language.

Others made their breakthroughs in state and local politics.

Junior Ezeonu was born in Nigeria and moved to the US as a young child. By 27, he had already become Grand Prairie’s youngest city council member before winning a seat in the Texas State House.

Then there is Carol Kazeem, 34, a Pennsylvania state legislator of Nigerian heritage who has retained her seat at District 159. At least four candidates with Nigerian heritage won in the 3 November midterms.

For some young Africans watching from across the Atlantic, these victories have offered a glimpse of what a new generation of voters could achieve at home.

On social media, users have shared the election results as a source of inspiration, especially in Nigeria and Kenya, where major elections are due in 2027.