A Nigerian-American, Esther Agbaje claimed victory, defeating her closest rival, Alan Shilepsky with an overwhelming majority of votes to win a legislative seat
Agbaje won the Minnesota House of Representatives seat in the 2020 United States election with a total of 17,396 votes, which represents 74.6 per cent of the total votes cast. While Shilepsky, a nominee for the Republican Party, scored 4,128 votes, representing 17.7 per cent of the total votes cast.
Agbaje confirmed that she would be representing District 59B in the Minnesota House of Representatives on the platform of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFLP), an affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party, on her website.
The 35-year-old defeated longtime state Representative Raymond Dehn in the party’s primary in August.
She is one of four progressive greenhorns who defeated established Democratic legislators in the primary.
Born the daughter of an Episcopal priest and a librarian, both Nigerian immigrants, Agbaje has a law degree from Harvard University, a Master’s from the University of Pennsylvania. She has served in the U.S. Department of State, among others.
Meanwhile Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) sent a congratulatory message rejoicing with Esther Agbaje for attaining the feat.
Congratulations!
