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Del. Adrian Boafo, D-Md., walked out of a crowded Democratic caucus on Tuesday to win the nomination for former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s blue-blue Maryland seat, aided by millions in foreign spending from cryptocurrency and pro-Israel groups.
Boafo, 32, defeated a field of about 22 candidates for the Democratic district on Tuesday, including former US Capitol police officer Harry Dunn, according to the Associated Press.
Dunn, who defended the US Capitol during the Jan. 6 in 2021, he put opposition to President Donald Trump at the center of his campaign, including criticizing the amnesty for those accused of the January 6 violence and the president’s defunct $1.8 billion “anti-gun” fund. Dunn is retiring from the Capitol Police force in 2023.
Del. Adrian Boafo, Democratic candidate for Maryland’s 5th Congressional District, speaks during a press conference at the Kenhill Center in Bowie, Md., March 2, 2026. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who is retiring from the seat, was also in attendance. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)
Boafo’s primary victory comes after the crypto-aligned super PAC Protect Progress and the United Democracy Project — an outside spending group linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — spent more than $10 million to support his position, according to The Washington Post.
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He also received support from the Maryland Democratic Party, including endorsements from Hoyer, Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., and the state’s largest teachers union.
Boafo previously worked as a Hoyer campaign aide and a state lobbyist for software and technology company Oracle before being elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2022.
Hoyer, 86, who has represented the southern Maryland seat for 45 years, announced his retirement in January, sparking a race among about 24 Democratic candidates. He served in the House Democratic leadership with his rival former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2023.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., speaks during a press conference to introduce Del. Adrian Boafo, Democratic candidate for Maryland’s 5th District, at the Kenhill Center in Bowie, Md., on March 2, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)
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Pelosi broke with Hoyer in the first round to endorse Dunn, calling him “a true American hero.” Dunn previously filed an unsuccessful primary bid for an open Maryland House seat in 2024.
Dunn lived outside the district he wanted to represent, living in Wheaton, Md., but said he would move to Maryland’s 5th Congressional district if he won the primary and national elections.
Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn speaks during a protest outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 2, 2026. (Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images)
Former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, who launched failed gubernatorial bids in 2018 and 2022, and businesswoman Quincy Bareebe, are also running in the Democratic primary.
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Given the district’s significant Democratic tilt, the primary winner is not expected to face a competitive GOP challenge in the November general election.
