Maryland voters tap Hoyer's hand-picked successor, incumbents in Democratic primaries

(CN) — Democrats in deep blue Maryland chose State Delegate Adrian Boafo as the likely replacement for retiring U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer, after a November face-off against Republican Chris Chaffee.

Voters in Baltimore and in Northwest Maryland voted for their incumbents, U.S. Representative Kweisi Mfume and U.S. Representative April McClain Delaney, in a slate of races Tuesday that experts said reinforced the idea that "incumbency is powerful."

The Associated Press called the race for Boafo — who has endorsements from Hoyer, Senator Angela Alsobrooks and Governor Wes Moore — late Tuesday night. Boafo defeated the next closest candidate, self-funded businesswoman Quincy Bareebe.

"Tonight, the Democratic voters of the 5th Congressional District decided that it's time to pass the torch to a new generation," Boafo told supporters at his watch party. "It takes a partial dose of courage and a little bit of insanity, to run for Congress of the United States, so thank you."

The Maryland State Board of Elections reported 225 of 228 precincts counted as of Wednesday morning. Boafo took 32% of the vote with 21,605 votes, compared to Bareebe's 18.1% with 12,193 and former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn's 13.5% with 9,115.

Hoyer congratulated Boafo, who was largely hand-picked to replace the representative after his 44 years representing Maryland in the House.

"Congratulations to my dear friend Adrian Boafo on being elected as the Democratic nominee for Maryland's Fifth Congressional District," Hoyer wrote on X. "Today, voters affirmed what we all know: Adrian has what it takes to effectively lead and fight for Prince George's County and Southern Maryland. I'm proud to have supported him along the way."

Voters selected Boafo from a crowded ballot of 24 candidates.

Sam Novey, chief strategist at the University of Maryland's Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, told Courthouse News name recognition and endorsements can play a major role in such a crowded race.

"Voters tend to go with politicians they recognize and may have voted for in another race before," Novey said. "With Boafo being more visible, having the endorsements of Hoyer, Alsobrooks and Moore mattered."

Dunn's most high-profile endorsement came from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who credited his service during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and his stance against Donald Trump.

"Candidates need to run on their strengths and in a race like this endorsements can be a strength," Novey said. "A strong challenger can make it a weakness, pointing at the names to say 'you're part of the problem.' Sometimes that connects with people, sometimes it doesn't."

Dunn thanked his supporters on Bluesky, marking the end of a second unsuccessful campaign for federal office after losing in the race for Maryland's Third District in 2024.

"I did the best I could, I promise I did," Dunn wrote. "There is still work to do. Love most of y'all. Also, I promise I won't storm the Capitol saying the election was rigged!"

Boafo is the youngest of the slate and made his name representing District 23 in Prince George's County, a seat he's held since January 2023. He has also worked as a lobbyist for billionaire Larry Ellison's artificial intelligence firm Oracle since 2021.

As Hoyer's likely successor, Boafo took over Maryland airwaves with ads largely funded by the pro-Israel political action committee AIPAC and the crypto industry, according to media tracking firm AdImpact.

The United Democracy Project, AIPAC's official super PAC, spent about $4.7 million by Monday morning, while Protect Progress, a super PAC aligned with the crypto industry and its own super PAC, Fairshake, together spent about $3.4 million.

Meanwhile, Federal Election Commission campaign filings show Boafo received $10,000 from Hoyer's AMERIPAC, $5,000 from the pro-Israel Protect Our Heritage PAC as well as $11,000 from the National Electrical Contractors Association, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers and The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. Those donations were part of $81,245 committee contributions, with $1.1 million total contributions.

The involvement of AIPAC money divided Maryland's congressional delegation. Speaking with reporters earlier this week, Senator Chris Van Hollen declined to endorse a candidate while warning voters to "beware" of outside groups "trying to buy this congressional seat."

In the state's Sixth District, incumbent McClain Delaney defended her seat from billionaire David Trone, in his second bid for federal office after challenging Alsobrooks in 2024's Democratic primary.

McClain Delaney will face Republican Robin Ficker in November.

Trone co-founded and owns the country's largest independent retailer, Total Wine & More, and ran a primarily self-funded campaign in 2024. According to his campaign's FEC filings, Trone has raised a total of $26.1 million, $25 million of which comes from Trone himself.

The Maryland State Board of Elections showed the Sixth District race as the closest among the three: McClain Delaney had 43.7% of the vote compared to Trone's 37.3%. McClain Delaney took home 18,146 votes and Trone garnered 15,516.

Pro-Israel PACs also donated a significant amount of money in this race.

According to watchdog group Track AIPAC, McClain Delaney has reportedly received over $142,172 in donations from AIPAC, the political action committee dedicated to maintaining Israeli-American relations,

Trone largely self-funded his campaign and did not receive AIPAC donations, but he has historically supported Israel outside of calls for a ceasefire and the ouster of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Novey noted the competitiveness in the race, highlighting the similarities between candidates who are "both well known, both held that seat before, both had access to resources and both ran good campaigns."

Finally, in Baltimore's Seventh District, incumbent Mfume retained his seat in a fight against Mark Conway. Conway, 37, argued that the 77-year-old Mfume was due to be replaced.

Mfume will face Republican Scott Collier, who ran uncontested in his primary, in November.

Mfume thanked his supporters in a post on X for the "overwhelming re-election victory!"

"Elections come and go, but our shared responsibility to serve the people remains," Mfume said. "Today, we continue the work of creating affordable opportunities, driving down the cost of gas and groceries, heating and energy, improving public safety, and investing in affordable housing and education for all people. I will fight to ensure that every resident has a chance to succeed."

Mfume handily defeated Conway with over 25,000 more votes — winning 69.8% compared to Conway's 24.5%. Mfume had 38,757 votes and Conway had 13,617.

Track AIPAC reported Mfume received $171,833 from pro-Israel political action committees and endorsed Conway against the incumbent.

Novey highlighted Mfume's decades of service in Baltimore and around the region. He called him "a giant" in the city and the region, noting Mfume holds a lot of credibility and has an extensive political network.

In a deeply divided political landscape, primaries have become when voters often select their representatives.

The fact that races in the Fifth and Sixth districts were competitive, Novey said, was a good sign for the country.

"It's good for democracy for voters to have choices in the primaries, and to have good choices," Novey said. "It makes our representatives better. From a civic standpoint, I'm glad voters got a chance this year to register their point of view."