Pelosi-backed Democrat loses after $10M flood of crypto, pro-Israel money

Del. Adrian Boafo, D-Md., emerged from a crowded Democratic primary Tuesday to clinch the nomination for former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s deep-blue Maryland seat, aided by millions in outside spending from cryptocurrency and pro-Israel groups. 

Boafo, 32, defeated a crowded field of roughly two dozen challengers vying to represent the heavily Democratic district Tuesday, including former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, according to The Associated Press.

Dunn, who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots in 2021, put opposition to President Donald Trump at the center of his campaign, including criticizing the pardoning of Jan. 6 riot defendants and the president’s defunct $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund. Dunn resigned from the Capitol Police force in 2023.

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 candidacy, according to The Washington Post.

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He also had the backing of Maryland’s Democratic establishment, 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 campaign aide to Hoyer and a federal lobbyist for the 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, setting off a scramble among roughly 24 Democratic candidates for the open seat. He served in House Democratic leadership with his one-time rival, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., from 2007 to 2011 and 2019 to 2023.

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Pelosi broke with Hoyer in the primary contest to endorse Dunn, calling him a "true American hero." Dunn previously mounted a failed primary bid for an open Maryland House seat in 2024.

Dunn notably lived outside the district he sought to represent, residing in Wheaton, Md., but said he would move to Maryland's 5th Congressional District if he won the primary and general election.

Former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, who launched failed gubernatorial bids in 2018 and 2022, and businesswoman Quincy Bareebe, also ran in the open Democratic primary.

Given the district’s significant Democratic tilt, the primary winner is not expected to face a competitive GOP challenge in the November general election.