Zohran Mamdani & 5 other United States Mayors who were born in Africa

In the American political system, a mayor acts as the chief executive of a city, responsible for managing its daily operations, from public safety and services to setting its annual budget.

This position is won by campaigning in a local election and securing the most votes from the community.

For the leaders on this list, the path to office required one additional, critical step.

While the US presidency is famously restricted to 'natural-born' citizens, most other elected offices, including mayor, are open to any naturalised citizen.

These individuals, born across Africa, first went through the legal process to gain US citizenship, earning the right to vote and hold office before they earned the votes to lead their cities.

1. Zohran Mamdani - Mayor-elect of New York, New York (Born Kampala, Uganda)

Zohran Mamdani, 34, was elected on November 4, 2025, and will take office in January 2026.

A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, he becomes the first Muslim mayor of the largest city in the United States.

The son of academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair, his family moved to New York at age seven.

Mamdani previously served in the New York State Assembly.

2. Yemi Mobolade - Mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado (Born Lagos, Nigeria)

Yemi Mobolade moved to the United States at 17 years of age in August 1997.

He was elected in May 2023, becoming the first elected Black mayor of Colorado's second-largest city.

An independent politician, he co-founded a church and started several businesses in Colorado Springs before entering politics.

His current term ends in 2027.

3. Nadia Mohamed - Mayor of St. Louis Park, Minnesota (Born Somalia)

Nadia Mohamed arrived in the United States at age 10 as a refugee with her family, fleeing conflict in Somalia.

They settled in the community of St. Louis Park.

In November 2023, she was elected the first Somali-American mayor in the United States.

4. Wilmot Collins - Mayor of Helena, Montana (Born Monrovia, Liberia)

Wilmot Collins is the outgoing mayor of Montana's state capital, Helena.

Fleeing the First Liberian Civil War, Wilmot arrived in Helena as a refugee in 1994.

He worked as a child protection specialist and served in the US Navy reserves.

In 2017, he was elected the first Black mayor in Montana's history and was re-elected in November 2021.

He did not seek a third term, and his final term ends in January 2026.

5. Gavin Buckley - Mayor of Annapolis, Maryland (Born Boksburg, South Africa)

Gavin Buckley was born in South Africa, raised in Perth, Australia, and moved to the United States in his twenties.

He worked as a restaurateur in Annapolis, Maryland, before entering politics.

A Democrat, he was first elected mayor of Maryland's state capital in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021.

Buckley is ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits, and his final term ends in December 2025.

6. Mboka Mwilambwe - Mayor of Bloomington, Illinois (Born Kinshasa, Zaire)

Mboka Mwilambwe served as the first Black mayor of Bloomington, Illinois from 2021 to 2025.

A Democrat, he moved to the United States for university.

He served on the city council for a decade before his mayoral term.

Mwilambwe ran for re-election in April 2025 but was defeated.

From refugees to university students, the path from an African birthplace to an American mayor's office shows that in US local politics, naturalised citizens are not just participating; they are winning executive power and leading their communities.