Kenyan-American Huldah Hiltsley Wins Seat in US Elections

Huldah Hiltsley, a Kenyan-American candidate, has won a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 38A5.

Running as a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, Hiltsley secured a decisive victory with 64.78% of the votes. 

This historic win makes Hiltsley the first Kenyan-born immigrant elected to any state legislature in the United States.

Born in 1985 in Nyamira County, Kenya, she immigrated to the U.S. at age nine. 

Hiltsley holds three bachelor's degrees and a master's degree from Bethel University. 

She previously ran for the Minnesota State Senate in 2022.

Hiltsley is also known for her leadership skills, as the former president of Mwanyagetinge, a Kenyan community organization in Minnesota.

Recently, she criticized the practice of vote buying in Kenya while highlighting the differences in political campaigns between Kenya and the United States.

Hiltsley highlighted that in Kenya, voters are often paid to support particular candidates, which contrasts sharply with the political process in the US.

She stressed the importance of direct voter engagement in US campaigns, where candidates go door-to-door to communicate their message and earn votes.

"I do pay attention to how Kenyan politics are run. The biggest difference between running in the US and Kenya is how the candidates approach the voters. Kenya, we know how it is, it's a matter of unfortunately buying votes, and that's something that Kenya has to work on and address.

"But here in the US is completely the opposite you have to go to the voters, where they are, and ask them for their support and that literally means going door to door making sure that you are communicating your message to the Constituency and hoping to earn their votes," she said.