The race to replace retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) in Maryland’s deep-blue 5th Congressional District is rapidly becoming one of the most expensive House primaries in the country, fueled by millions of dollars from outside groups.
Outside organizations had spent a collective $12.5 million in the race, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The largest contributors have been the pro-crypto super PAC Protect Progress and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s United Democracy Project, both of which have poured money into efforts supporting Maryland state Del. Adrian Boafo.
The spending, first reported by Axios, has transformed what might otherwise have been a local Democratic primary into a nationalized contest drawing the attention of powerful interest groups. Boafo has also secured endorsements from Hoyer, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD), and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), some of the state’s most influential Democratic figures.
The flood of outside money has frustrated some of Boafo’s opponents, who argue the race is being defined more by super PACs than by the candidates themselves.
“The entire experience has been so frustrating because almost none of the ads that people have seen on TV have said ‘Adrian Boafo for Congress,’” candidate Jolene Ivey Blegay told Axios. “They’re all ads from Protect Progress, United Democracy Project.”
“People are seeing them about every hour,” she added. “It doesn’t take $12 million to win this race, and that’s just how much money they’ve put in.”
Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who rose to national prominence after defending the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack and is seeking to build a grassroots coalition in the district, also questioned the scale of the spending.
“It’s tough to square, like, why is someone donating this much money?” Dunn said on a press call.
The financial imbalance is evident in campaign spending reports. Through June 3, candidate Mckayla Wilkes Bareebe had spent $5.1 million, though much of that came from $5.7 million in personal loans she made to her campaign. Dunn had spent roughly $3.5 million, largely fueled by small-dollar grassroots donations and support from progressive activists. Boafo, despite benefiting from the overwhelming majority of outside spending, had spent only about $830,000 through his campaign account during the same period. Candidate Shayla Adams-Stafford Blegay reported spending less than $90,000.
Other Democratic-aligned groups have also joined the effort to boost Boafo. Hoyer’s AmeriPAC, the Congressional Black Caucus-aligned Rolling Sea Action Fund, and American Bridge-affiliated Project 218 have each spent six-figure sums on his behalf.
Only one outside group has spent significant money supporting another candidate. The Servant-Leader Fund, which backs Democratic veterans running for office, invested roughly $135,000 in support of former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker.
In comparison, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and challenger Ed Gallrein’s primary race saw combined outside spending of up to $33 million. Massie, who broke with President Donald Trump over the Jeffrey Epstein files, was ousted by Trump-backed newcomer Gallrein in May.
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Boafo has maintained that he is opposed to outside spending.
“I’ve been on the record about condemning outside spending for a very long time,” Boafo said. “It’s an issue my opponents are trying to relitigate in this way. But I’ve been very clear for seven years in elected life what I feel about big money in politics.”