Nigeria-born US ex-soldier Yinka Faleti is contesting for the Missouri Secretary of State seat on the platform of the Democratic Party.
He was announced nominee in April. Mr Faleti is challenging the Republican incumbent Jay Ashcroft for the seat.
The former soldier arrived in the United States at the age of seven with his family. They settled in Texas after moving from New York, Virginia, Florida and Mississippi.
His website says Faleti’s family migrated to the US in search of greener pasture.
Faleti, 44, is a father of four who practiced as an attorney at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and subsequently as a state prosecutor at the St. Louis circuit attorney’s office in 2011.
He served in the US army as a combat arms officer in tank units from 1998 to 2004. He attained the rank of captain after two deployments overseas to Kuwait as a part of Operation Desert Spring prior to 9/11 and Operation Enduring Freedom in response to 9/11.
His profile reads: “Throughout his professional career, Yinka has continually worked to get further upstream. Yinka is running to increase opportunities to vote, reduce barriers to voter participation and protect and honor our ballot initiative process.”
The Nigerian said he is running for office “to increase opportunities to vote, reduce barriers to voter participation and protect and honor our ballot initiative process”.
If elected, Faleti would be the first African-American person to hold the office in Missouri.
